Unite or Die: The Jinchuurikis' Choice
by Okazaki323
Summary: Naruto and Gaara are going to go on a journey to unite all the Jinchuurikis in the hopes of defeating the Akatsuki. Hinata demands to be taken along and goes with them. Humor and fluff. Naruhina.
1. Coming Home

I'll focus on romance a lot in this story. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto is owned by the publishing company Shueisha and it's mangaka Masashi Kishimoto. also, Hinata owns Naruto. or will later anyway. I'm going to go cut myself in the corner in hopes that the pain will distract me from my deep sorrow about not owning Naruto.

**Chapter start**

The sun was high in the sky as a young pink haired medic made her way through the crowded streets of Konoha. She moved at a fast pace while expertly moving through the crowd, signs of her training and her experience as a ninja.

'_Guard duty_!" thought Sakura Haruno as she made her way around a corner. '_Why Tsunade-sama? Guarding the main gate is as boring as it gets. Where are Kotetsu and Izumo when you need them? They're usually just there. Doing the job no one else wants to do. I guess I shouldn't ever take them for granted_.'

Eventually, Sakura found herself situated at the main gate. She sighed as she watched the people coming in and out, looking for anyone suspicious.

'_I wonder what Naruto's doing right now? I wish I were out of the village more often. The hospital needs me all the time and then I get stuck with stupid jobs like this one. Why can't I be on a training mission like him_?' thought the bored teenager as she looked into the distance.

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It was rather ironic that Sakura was thinking this because the said shinobi made his way towards Konoha with a spring in his step.

"Naruto" said a white haired man who was walking slightly behind Naruto.

The ramen lover turned around. "What is it Ero-sennin? I want to get to Konoha soon. It's almost two o'clock. We're wasting the day here. We need to get moving." Said Naruto as he prepared to go into a full sprint towards Konoha.

"Calm down Naruto. I have several things to tell you before you arrive in Konoha. Humor me and be quiet for once." Said Jiraiya with a serious tone in his voice.

Naruto stopped and turned around to look his sensei in the eye. "Don't you mean 'before we arrive in Konoha' Ero-sennin?" said Naruto, suspicion evident in his voice

Jiraiya laughed a very hearty laugh. "You've grown sharp kid. I'll give you that. To answer your question, I was saying that only you will be returning to Konoha for now. And before you make a fuss" Jiraiya raised a hand to silence Naruto, who had already opened his mouth. "I am going on a mission to gather information about the Akatsuki is the reason I am not going with you to Konoha. However, before I leave you, I have some advice I think will come in handy."

Jiraiya gave Naruto a serious look "Naruto, you are a man now. You're 16. In the life you've chosen, they are plenty of people who don't even make it to that age. So my first piece of advice is about what many young men think about; love. Number one: be careful about who you choose to show affection to. I've had plenty of experiences where I have had my heart broken because I chose not to follow this rule. Number two: make sure you do not fall in love with a woman who has no affections for you. Unrequited love is very painful and can bring tragedy. Third rule: if you fall in love with an unkind woman I will personally beat the ever loving crap out of you. I heard about when you used to chase after that Sakura girl. You probably have some brain damage from all the beatings you took from her. Now that rule isn't really a rule as much as it a threat but don't question me. Now the fourth rule: looks don't matter when it comes to true love. If you have affections for a person then you will find them beautiful." Jiraiya said all of this in a slow serious tone.

Naruto was more than a little surprised; Jiraiya rarely spoke so seriously to him and Naruto had never really talked to anyone about love before. "Uhhhh thanks Jiraiya-sensei." Was all Naruto could say. "If I could ask though, what made you want to all of a sudden tell me all of this?"

"Naruto, you are going to be surrounded by beautiful woman who are you're age, which makes them fair game to go after. I am making sure you don't enter the world of romance unprepared." Said Jiraiya with a smile. Then he continued "Besides, I bet there's at least one girl out there who likes you and it would be beneficial to you to know what to look for in a woman." Jiraiya winked after he said this.

"I doubt it Jiraiya-sensei. I wasn't exactly popular with the ladies when I left." said Naruto, emitting a slight sight after he finished speaking.

"Think about it Naruto" said Jiraiya, slightly exasperated that Naruto never realized that there was one girl in the village who had feelings for him. '_For Kami-Sama's sake even I know she likes you and I'm barely ever in the village_'

"Has there ever been a girl who maybe blushes around you? Or maybe helps you for no reason besides she wanted too? Or maybe a girl who faints around you?" Said Jiraiya, who was wondering if he could give any bigger hints to his godson. "Or maybe a girl who has dark blue hair and no pupils?" whispered Jiraiya.

"What was that last one Ero-Sennin?" asked Naruto, genuinely curious.

"Nothing Naruto just think about the first three" said Jiraiya, nonchalantly

Naruto's face changed to a look that reflected his deep contemplation. '_Well, only one girl fits all those descriptions. But Hinata doesn't like me that way. Were just friends. She's the heiress to a powerful clan; she wouldn't like a poor orphan guy like me_'

"Only one girl fits those descriptions but she doesn't have those types of feelings for me. She just always acts that way." Said Naruto, nodding his head while he talked.

"If you say so Naruto. Well, I'll leave you now. Give my regards to Tsunade." Said Jiraiya as he turned to leave

"Wait" said Naruto

Jiraiya turned to look at his student.

"I didn't know you could be so serious. I just wanted to say, thanks. I've never really had someone to talk to me like that." Said Naruto while rubbing the back of his head with one of his hands.

Jiraiya smiled "Naruto, I can be two different, no wait, three different types of people. One, I can be a very serious type. Two, I can be a very suave, sexy type. And three I ca-"

"You can be a pervert" Naruto finished for him.

"Wrong, Naruto. You shouldn't try to finish my sentences if you're going to finish them incorrectly. The third type I can be is a super pervert!" said Jiraiya with a big smile. Then, he turned and dashed off.

Naruto stood there as a large sweat drop appeared on his head. "Really?" he asked to no one in particular.

Sighing as he did so, he started to continue his journey to Konoha, which was a short one.

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Sakura perked up as she sensed someone with a very large amount of chakra approach the village. Immediately, she looked into the distance where a she could see someone approaching.

'_Hmmmm. From this distance I can tell it's a guy. About five foot nine maybe five foot ten. Yellow hair. Wait, spiky yellow hair. No way. It's Naruto!_' thought Sakura with excitement.

Sure enough, Naruto got to the gate and gave Sakura one of his brightest smiles.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Long time no see." Said Naruto, still maintaining his large grin.

Sakura stopped dead to take in Naruto's new appearance. As Sakura said earlier, Naruto was about five foot ten and still had his familiar yellow spiky hair. However, his wardrobe had changed drastically. He no longer wore his orange jumpsuit. Instead, he wore an orange t-shirt with a black ninja vest over it. For pants, he wore plain black pants, similar to what ANBU wear, with a kunai holster attached to his right pant leg. He no longer wore his headband around his head. Instead, it was around his left arm just below where his arm and shoulder met.

'_Naruto looks so different with his headband around his arm. It makes him look better. This outfit is way better than that jumpsuit he used to wear. Though I see he still has some orange. But that's good. It wouldn't be Naru-_' Sakura's thoughts were interrupted by Naruto

"Yo, Sakura-chan, are you alright? You're just staring at me. It's me Naruto. Remember?" said Naruto while fixing Sakura with a confused look.

Sakura shook her head to get the gears moving again.

"Sorry Naruto. I was just taking in your new outfit" said Sakura while smiling.

Naruto frowned. "You don't like it? Crap. I knew it didn't have enough orange in it. I told Ero-Sennin but he insisted that I couldn't have much orange in my outfit. He only let me have this shirt because I cover it up with the vest. The vest is cool though, right? Look, it even has the cool swirl on the back of it." Naruto turned around to shoe Sakura that it did indeed have the usual swirl that all Konoha ninja vests had.

Sakura giggled. "Yes Naruto. It's very cool. I was just surprised. You look so different. You're even taller than me. It's been so long since you've come home I should've expected that you would get rid of that ridiculous orange jumpsuit you used to wear"

"Nani! That jumpsuit was cool! You mean you didn't like it?" said Naruto with a look of surprise on his face.

"Baka! Nobody but you thought it was cool. It made you a moving target and you looked ridiculous in it most of the time" said Sakura, with an exasperated look on her face.

Naruto sighed. "Really? Ero-Sennin told me that too but I thought he was lying"

Sakura laughed "For once, that perverted sensei of yours was good for something; he got you into an outfit that looks good."

"Whatever. I better get to the Hokage Tower. I sure Baa-chan probably wants to see me" said Naruto while looking down the street

"I'll come with you." said Sakura, excited that he was back

"Don't you have guard duty?" Said Naruto

Sakura slumped her shoulders when, suddenly, two familiar ninja appeared.

"Don't worry Sakura-san. We can take over." said Kotetsu while standing next to his partner, Izumo.

Sakura smiled at them gratefully. "Thanks guys!" she shouted as she took off down the street after Naruto, who had already begun to walk towards the Hokage Tower when Izumo and Kotetsu appeared.

"Hey, Naruto. Wait up!" shouted Sakura as she chased after him.

Sakura managed to catch up to him. "Geez. Be a little patient for once"

"Sorry Sakura-chan. It's just been so long since I've seen Baa-chan." Said Naruto with an apologetic smile on his face. "Wow, the village hasn't changed at all. Wait, scratch that. They added Baa-chan's face to the mountain. So Sakura-chan, what have you been doing while I was away?" asked Naruto with genuine curiosity.

"I've been training like crazy and working at the hospital. I'm probably the best Medic-nin in the village, excluding Tsunade-sama of course. That's all really. I've been honing my skills, waiting for the chance to go and find Sasuke with you." Said Sakura with a serious expression.

Naruto was surprised to see Sakura so serious all of the sudden so he decided to change the subject. "So how has everyone else been doing?"

"Ino's been training with me mostly. Other than that she trains with her family and team. We don't hang out very often outside of training. The rest of her team I really haven't been keeping in touch with either. I guess they're alright. I know that Shikamaru has been getting a lot of missions because he leads them so well. And I know that Chouji has grown a lot. His hair is red now too and he wears armor now like the rest of the ninja of his clan." said Sakura

"How's Hinata?" asked Naruto. Hinata just kind of popped into his head because he had been thinking of her ever since Jiraiya brought her up.

'_I bet she's gotten a lot stronger. She was strong before and I know she works hard_' thought Naruto

Sakura gave Naruto a look that suggested she was curious.

"Why her specifically?" asked Sakura

"Something reminded me of her earlier today and she's kind of been in my head ever since. To be honest this is probably the most I've ever thought about her at one time." Said Naruto.

"She's gotten stronger I guess. Her team does a lot of tracking missions so I don't really ever see her. I know she's been on bad terms with her family. It seems Hiashi has been thinking of revoking her birthright of becoming the head of the clan someday. He might give it to her sister instead and put her in the branch family." said Sakura, who was watching Naruto carefully to see his reaction. It was a loud reaction.

"Why? Hinata is strong and works hard! She deserves to be the head! She'd be a better head than Hiashi! He's a fucking ice cube! I swear I bet that guy is so uptight that if you put a piece of coal up his ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond!" shouted Naruto, a look of anger came across his face.

Sakura was surprised by the heated outburst. "Calm down Naruto. The reason is probably because Hinata is too kind. She'd probably get rid of the curse seal. Hell, she'd probably get rid of the whole division between the main and branch family. Hiashi wants the current system the Hyuuga has to stay in place."

"What an asshole. The curse seal is just messed up. I be-" but Naruto stopped midsentence and stopped walking as he looked past Sakura.

Sakura stopped walking and whipped her head around to see what he was looking at. By one of the stalls was Hinata. She was wearing a lavender sundress and was looking at different vegetables in the stall she was next too.

Sakura turned her head to look at Naruto and was surprised at what she saw. Naruto's mouth was open the tiniest bit as he started at the pretty girl by the stall. Sakura noticed that the slightest twinge of pink had formed in his cheeks.

"Who is that? Wait. Is that Hinata?" asked Naruto, who was still staring at Hinata.

"No kidding. Who did you think it was Romeo?" said Sakura with a grin on her face, she was happy Naruto was starting to take notice of Hinata.

"I don't know. Just some random gir- wait. Did you say Romeo? What are you saying? I don't like Hinata-chan like that. She's just gotten really beautiful. And has a pretty smile." said Naruto while still staring at Hinata, who did indeed have a small smile on her face as she perused the different things to buy.

"Far be it from me to think you liked the kind pretty girl who you enjoy staring at." Said Sakura

Naruto quickly turned his head forward and began walking again with a small blush on his face that disappeared after a few seconds. Sakura walked quickly to catch up to him.

"Yea, Hinata's probably the person who worked the hardest out of everyone in the village while you were gone. And I guess she has gotten really pretty. She must be strong too. And she's always been extremely kind." said Sakura, who was trying to help out Hinata.

"I know. She's always been a really good person and ninja. Oh, looks like we're here." Said Naruto while looking at the large Hokage tower. He pushed through the large doors and Sakura quickly followed behind him.

Naruto and Sakura proceeded to walk up the many stairs before stopping at the Hokage's office. Naruto took a deep breath before opening the door and walking into the office, closely followed by Sakura.

Inside were Tsunade and Kakashi. Tsunade looked up from her paper work and smile at Naruto.

"Naruto! You're finally back! It's great to see you. Good thing too because I was about to send your team on a mission." Said Tsunade

"A mission?" said Sakura, confused. "But we're only half a team without Naruto. Wait, did you know Naruto was coming back today and not tell me?" asked Sakura, who already knew the answer and was pissed.

"Heh heh." Laughed Tsunade. "Well, yes. Jiraiya sent a messenger toad a couple of weeks ago. I must've forgotten to tell you.

"Anyway, to get back on track, I think you'll be most interested in this mission Naruto. It involves your friend Gaara." Said Tsunade in a serious tone.

Naruto stiffened a bit. "What happened to him?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade sighed. "As you don't know, Gaara is the Kazekage. Unfortunately, he was kidnapped yesterday by the Akatsuki. "

"Nani!" shouted Naruto. "We have to go save him."

"Exactly, that's why I'm sending your team. You are to assist Sunokagure with the retrieval of their Kazekage, Gaara." Said Tsunade

"Great! Thank you Baa-chan!" Shouted Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei I hope you've gotten stronger since we last met because if you haven't I bet I'm stronger."

Kakashi smiled under his mask "I have Naruto. I hope you've gotten stronger too because this mission will require all of our strength and is of the upmost importance."

"However, I do have one problem." said Kakashi, who turned his head to look at Tsunade. "Who will you be adding to our team? I assume we won't be going as a three man squad."

Tsunade smiled. "As this is a tracking mission, I've decided to assign a member of one of my best tracking teams"

"You may come in now" said Tsunade in a loud voice.

The door opened and in walked Hinata. She wore a lavender and cream colored coat with lavender cuffs over a fishnet collar shirt with navy pants and a kunai holster on the right pant leg.

Naruto blushed slightly as he took in Hinata's appearance. '_Damn! She's gotten really pretty. I almost wished she did like me now._'

"Hey Hinata." Said Naruto.

Hinata look over at Naruto and immediately had a huge blush on her face.

'_Naruto! He's back! Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh my Kami-Sama. He looks good in his new outfit. And he's so tall now. And his eyes are just the same. Wait. Is he staring me?_' thought Hinata before blushing even harderand looking down.

'_I wish she wouldn't look down. Her face is so pretty. Wait, did I really just think that? Maybe I find Hinata a little too pretty_' thought Naruto as he stared at the blushing girl

"N-Naruto-kun. I'm g-glad to see your back. Your new outfit looks r-really g-good." Said Hinata, saying this while her looking at her feet.

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Hinata-chan. I don't think it has enough orange though. But never mind me; you're the one who looks good. You've become really beautiful Hinata-chan." Said Naruto, with a straight face.

Hinata looked up at Naruto and looked him in the eyes. She then proceeded to faint on the spot. However, before she fell to the ground, Naruto caught her and held her in his arms bridal style.

Everyone in the room, minus Hinata, stared at Naruto.

"What? She was falling." Said Naruto.

Tsunade smiled. "Alright, your team is to report tomorrow at the main gate at eight o'clock sharp. Kakashi, you explain the finer details of the mission to your team then. Naruto, you tell Hinata the plan when she wakes up. You're all dismissed."

Kakashi immediately flickered away, as he wanted to go read.

"I'm going to the hospital to help out. See ya Naruto. Have a good time." Said Sakura, who rushed out of the room.

"Naruto, I have work to do. Get out." Said Tsunade who picked up her pen.

Naruto walked out of the office with Hinata in his arms.

He looked down at the sleeping beauty in his arms. She snuggled up into his chest and Naruto blushed the hardest he had all day.

Naruto's stomach then rumbled. '_I guess I'll head over to Ichiraku's. I'm sure Hinata won't mind if I bring her_' thought Naruto.

Naruto smiled at the thought of spending time alone with a pretty girl. He then proceeded to begin his journey to Ichiraku while thinking about the girl in his arms.

**END OF CHAPTER**

A/n: well, did you like it? i hope so.


	2. Ramen and Love

A/N: yo! so here's chapter 2. it's a little longer than chapter 1 and i liked it so i hope you will. please read and review.

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Shueisha publishing company and the mangaka Masashi Kishimoto. if i owned it would be a little weird.

**Chapter Start**

'_Warm'_ was Hinata's first thought as she started to awaken. '_mmmmmm, this feels great. I can't remember a time where I've woken up so warm. Actually, when did I fall sleep? Am I moving?'_ thought Hinata as she slowly started to open her eyes. Suddenly, Hinata felt whatever she was sleeping on stop. As her vision started to gain some focus, she found herself staring into a bright pair of blue eyes.

'_I've seen those eyes before. Wait, I'm being carried! By Naruto-kun!' _thought Hinata, who was torn between feeling either elated or horrified.

"Morning Hinata-chan" said Naruto, with a bright smile. "Actually, it's the afternoon. Are you okay to walk?" said Naruto, who secretly hoped she said no.

'_It's nice feeling her cuddled up to me like this._' thought Naruto

"Y-yes N-Naruto-kun. I-I can st-stand" said Hinata, cursing her stutter and wishing she could stay in his arms.

Hinata quickly got out of his arms and stood next to him. "Th-thank you for carrying me Naruto-kun" said Hinata, who had a blush on her face that could light up the darkest of rooms.

Naruto put a one hand behind his head in a nervous gesture. "No problem Hinata-chan."

'_Chan! He's been calling me Hinata-chan! I've only ever heard him use that honorific for Sakura. Does that mean he thinks I'm pretty? Wait, he called me pretty earlier!'_ Hinata started to feel faint. '_Stop! No fainting. Stop thinking about how Naruto called me pretty. Or how warm I felt while he carried me. Or his eyes as they looked into mine. Kami-sama, his eyes are so pretty. I could look into them forever'_ thought Hinata, who was starting to get a far off look on her face.

'_Hinata-chan's eyes are pretty. I used to think they were just white but, there's the slightest hint of lavender. I wonder why I never noticed before. Oh yea. It's because I never really get to look at her face closely'_ thought Naruto as he stared at Hinata, who stood right next to him.

"Hey Hinata-chan, want to go to Ichiraku's with me? I know you can probably get something fancier to eat at your house but trust me on this. Ichiraku makes the best food in the world!" said Naruto. Naruto couldn't figure out why but, for some odd reason, he didn't want Hinata to leave. '_Must be because I haven't seen her in so long_' concluded Naruto.

Hinata blush had finally started to calm down a bit when he asked this, the question, of course, made her blush as red as a freshly polished apple.

"Y-you want to have r-ramen with me?" said Hinata, as if she was unsure about what he said.

Naruto blushed a little at what she might be thinking their outing was. "Yea." He said before continuing "you know, to catch up on old times. It's been a long time since I've we've seen each other and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. We are going to be on a mission together after all"

"Same mission?" asked Hinata

"Yes. Oh yea! I forgot you passed out before Baa-chan could tell you about the mission." Said Naruto. "I'll tell you all about it when we're at Ichiraku's." Naruto then grabbed her hand and began to run with Hinata in tow, completely forgetting that Hinata had never said if she wanted to go to Ichiraku's with him, which she did of course.

Hinata stared at their interlocked hands as she ran slightly behind Naruto. She was so focused on her hands that she didn't notice the looks the pair was getting as they went through the crowded streets of Konoha. Many people were giving Naruto looks of disgust and disappointment; many hoped that Naruto would have stayed away from the village forever. To add fuel to the fire that was their hatred, many found it appalling that he was with the heiress of the Hyuuga clan. Many saw Hinata as practically royalty and, in their minds, should not be touching the filth that is Naruto Uzumaki.

After a few minutes and countless glares, the pair found themselves outside the small ramen stand that was Ichiraku's.

Naruto let go of Hinata's hand when they got there and blushed. "Sorry Hinata-chan. I was just excited to get to Ichiraku's. I'm sorry if it was uncomfortable for you to hold my hand."

"No!" Hinata nearly yelled, surprising herself. "I-it's okay Naruto-kun. I didn't m-mind holding your hand."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, that's good Hinata-chan. C'mon, let's go inside." Naruto beckoned as he made his way to sit down.

They were the only two there and they took two seats right next to each other that were in the middle. Naruto was left of Hinata and her to right of him.

"Welcome to Ichi-Naruto!" Shouted Teuchi in surprise. "It's great to see you again. It's been quiet without you around. My you've grown. You're at least two inches taller than me. Though, I see were similar in one aspect; we both have beautiful women by our sides." Teuchi laughed at his joke as Hinata blushed and looked down.

Naruto smiled at the ramen chef. "It's great to see you to Teuchi. Its' been forever. And, Hello Ayame-nee-san" said Naruto with a little wave at the twenty one year old girl who was standing next to Teuchi.

Ayame smiled. "It's great to see you Naruto. Who's your friend? Or more than friend?" asked Ayame as her nice smile started to turn into a sly smile.

Naruto blushed crimson. "Hi-Hinata-chan's just a friend. We're hanging out because it's been forever since we've seen each other."

Ayame frowned a little. But then, she smiled again, Ayame had seen the quick side glances Hinata was giving Naruto. "Alright, so what would you like to eat?" She asked

"Four bowls of ramen. Two beef and two miso." Said Naruto happily, it had been a while since he had good ramen.

"J-just one miso please." Said Hinata, who still had a slight blush on her face but it had decreased significantly in color.

"Coming right up!" shouted Teuchi as he began to gather the ingredients he needed to cook their meals.

Silence followed for the next thirty seconds between the two as both wondered what to say.

Finally, and surprisingly, Hinata spoke up. "What were you doing while you were away Naruto-kun? Be a little specific." Said Hinata, congratulating herself after she had said it for not stuttering.

Naruto took a moment to think. "The hardest and most beneficial training of my life." He said with a nod.

Hinata giggled. "That wasn't very specific Naruto-kun." Hinata scolded playfully, surprised at how naturally her playful side came out when she was around Naruto.

Naruto gave her a large smile. "I guess it isn't. Alright, I'll try to be more specific." Naruto took several moments of time to think of his response this time.

"I traveled all around the continent. I must've been to every single country. Jiraiya and I never stayed in one place for too long. I learned something new almost every day. I've learned a tremendous amount of things. Including things like vocabulary if you haven't noticed. I can now speak using very esoteric words." Naruto gave a little laugh after that. "Do you know what the word 'esoteric' means Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

Hinata smiled. "Yes Naruto-kun. Don't think you're some kind of master linguist compared to me. As an heiress, I've had to learn an extensive amount of vocabulary to improve my repertoire of words." Said Hinata, giving a little giggle after she had said it.

Naruto gave her one of his famous smiles before he started speaking again. "Back to my original point, I learned a lot. If I were to gauge my current skill level, I'm probably somewhere around high jonin." Naruto said proudly.

Hinata looked at Naruto in surprise and admiration. Naruto was only sixteen and he was already a high jonin in terms of strength. That's incredible!

"That's great Naruto. I always knew you would work your hardest. Promise you'll invite me to your coronation when you become Hokage?" said Hinata, half joking with her last sentence.

Naruto looked at Hinata with gratitude; he could tell that she truly believed that he could become strong enough to become the Hokage. "That's a promise." Said Naruto

Then two hands carrying two bowls of ramen came between them. "Eat up." Said Ayame with a small smile on her face. "Naruto, here's the rest of your bowls." She said as she picked up two more bowls while her father picked up a fourth. They carefully placed the bowls next to Naruto.

Immediately, Naruto began to eat his ramen with an eagerness that rivaled Lee's eagerness to train.

Hinata giggled and Naruto looked at her. "You have a bit of noodle on your face. Let me get it for you." Said Hinata as she took a napkin and wiped a small piece of noodle that was right below Naruto's mouth. When she realized what she had done, Hinata blushed furiously and looked at her ramen in front of her.

Naruto blushed, and not just a little blush, a large one. "Th-Thanks Hi-Hinata-chan" he said before going back to eating his ramen, at a much slower pace than he was before.

The rest of the meal was in silence. When the check came, Naruto paid it despite Hinata's protest.

"Would you like me to walk you home Hinata-chan?" said Naruto, a little nervousness in his voice.

Hinata looked surprised but happy when she looked at Naruto. "I'd li-like that Naruto-kun." She said with a small blush on her face.

They began to walk together, and for the first couple of minutes, there was a comfortable silence between them. However, Hinata decided to break that silence.

"Naruto-kun, did you go on any exciting adventures on your trip?" said Hinata curiously.

Naruto smiled before launching into one of his many tales about the trouble he and Jiraiya had gotten into while on the training trip.

When Naruto finished his tale they were by the large front doors of the Hyuuga clan complex.

"Thanks for hanging out with me Hinata-chan." Said Naruto with one of his famous smiles on his face.

"It was nothing Naruto-kun. I had a lot of fun. It felt really good to hang out with you. I've always thought you were a great person to be around and this night reaffirmed that belief." Hinata said with a light blush and a small smile.

'_Her smile is really cute_' thought Naruto, who started to subconsciously move towards Hinata.

'_He looks so great now with that vest. And his eyes'_ Hinata thought as she started to subconsciously move towards him.

Suddenly, one of the large doors swung open and broke the two teens out of their trance. In the doorway stood Neji with a neutral look on his face.

"Hinata-sama, where have you've been? We've been worried si-" he stopped when he noticed Naruto.

"Naruto!" said Neji in surprise. "It is great to see you. I trust you've become stronger?" Said Neji with a voice hinting that he was very curious.

"It's great to see you too Neji. And to answer your question, I have indeed become stronger. I invited Hinata-chan to hang out with me at Ichiraku's so it's my fault she's late by the way." Said Naruto

"It's alright, I'm sure Hinata-sama can be let off the hook this time, as long as Hiashi-sama doesn't find out she's been out with a boy all night. Hiashi-sama doesn't like to think about Hinata-sama having a romantic relationship with someone whom he did not choose." said Neji.

"Of course. We better keep our love a secret Hinata-chan. Hide the engagement ring in your pocket." joked Naruto.

Hinata fainted on the spot and Naruto caught her. Neji eyed Naruto curiously.

"How come everyone looks at me funny when I catch her? She was falling. Am I supposed to let her fall?" asked Naruto

Neji gave a chuckle before answering. "I suppose not." said Neji. "Give her to me. I'll carry her inside."

"oh!" said Naruto, remembering something. "Tell her to be at the main gate at eight o'clock for the mission. Tell her to pack enough equipment for a couple days." Said Naruto as he began to give Hinata to Neji.

Naruto handed Hinata to Neji almost reluctantly. Naruto secretly wished he could hold onto the heiress for a little longer; it was nice having her in his arms.

Neji disappeared into the Hyuuga compound and the door shut behind him.

Naruto turned and started to make his way towards his apartment. The whole way a smile never left his face, due to the fact he replayed his moments with Hinata that night over and over again in his head.

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Naruto ran through the forest as fast as he could. In pursuit of him was a large black smoke that seemed to eat up everything in its path.

Naruto turned his head as he ran to look at the thing that chased him with such ferocity. As he looked at the smoke he saw it change from shape to shape. At one point it was Itachi Uchiha, and then it switched to the shape of Kisame Hoshigaki. Then to Deidara, from Deidara to Sasori and from Sasori to other members of the Akatsuki.

Naruto turned his head back around to face forward just in time to see a brick wall in his path. Naruto reached the wall and pressed his back into the wall and faced the smoke.

"Ahhhhhh!" he yelled as the smoke enveloped him.

Naruto sat up in his bed with cold sweat pouring down his body. He took several deep breaths before looking at his clock to check the time.

'_Six o'clock. Still two hours before I need to be at the main gate. Plenty of time to pack_' thought Naruto as he threw back the covers to get out of bed.

The bad dream didn't surprise Naruto as he had been having similar dreams to that one for a while now.

Naruto went to the bathroom and to take a shower and brush his teeth. As he did this though, he pondered the dream. He knew why he had them.

'_The Akatsuki are too damn strong. Every time I see them it's a lot of trouble. Just one of them is stronger than me most of the time. I have no chance as it is.'_ Naruto sighed as he thought this. '_I'll just have to keep training and hope Konoha is strong enough to take them down with me. Though I doubt that.'_

Naruto then started to pack his essentials; kunai, instant ramen packs, shuriken, more ramen packs, water, more ramen packs, extra set of clothes, and some more ramen packs. He sealed all of these into a scroll about a foot long and put the scroll into his backpack that was on his bed. He then put some books into his bag along with a set of explosive tags and several other sealing scrolls.

'_Time to go'_ he thought as walked toward the door with his backpack on his back. It was only six forty five but Naruto wanted to be early.

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Hinata walked through the village with a small smile on her face, due to the fact she was going on a mission with Naruto. It was only seven o'clock and she would arrive at the meeting place early but she didn't mind, she needed time to get something to eat.

As she walked she looked around for a good place to grab a bite. After a few moments she spotted a small stand that was selling cinnamon rolls. She looked at the stand with a longing look and began to make a move towards it when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey Hinata-chan!" shouted Naruto as he made his way down the street towards her.

Hinata flashed a smile before replying "Hey Naruto-kun. Ready for the mission?"

Naruto gave a little chuckle. "You bet I am." He answered. He looked over her shoulder at the stand that Hinata had been staring at before he had called out to her.

"Do you like cinnamon rolls, Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto while giving her one of his famous smiles.

Hinata blushed a little as she looked at his smile. "Yes, they're my favorite food. I was about to get one because I haven't had anything to eat yet"

"I see. Mind if I walk with you? I'd try a cinnamon roll too but I'm already eating this" said Naruto, who held up a half eaten ration bar. "I didn't really feel like spending money today so I'm just eating one of these."

"I'd be happy to have you accompany me Naruto-kun. Now let's get over to the stand. I'm worried they might start to run out. These small places sell out pretty fast early in the morning" said Hinata as she walked toward the stand, Naruto walked beside her.

"Hello Hyuuga-sama. What can I get for you?" said the salesman behind the stand with a smile. However, his smile disappeared when he saw Naruto standing next to her.

"Two cinnamon rolls please." Said Hinata, oblivious to the man's change in demeanor as she looked at the cinnamon rolls with wanting eyes.

The man handed over two cinnamon rolls, all the while glaring at Naruto as if he was some kind of trash that needed to be thrown away immediately.

Hinata took them and walked off. Naruto walked beside her, glad that she had not noticed the glare the man was giving him.

Hinata tore into the first one and devoured it quickly. Naruto chuckled. Hinata looked at him with a blush on face.

'_I can't believe I just did that!'_ thought Hinata with horror

Naruto noticed that she was embarrassed. "Don't be embarrassed Hinata-chan. I'm way worse than you when I eat ramen. Besides, your way too pretty to be considered a slob by anyone."

Hinata blushed and looked back toward her food as she walked. "Thank you Naruto-kun" she said before biting into her second cinnamon roll, eating it much more slowly than she had the previous one.

Naruto looked at Hinata fondly as they continued to walk. "No problem Hinata-chan." Said Naruto.

Eventually, they arrived at the gates. However, they had taken a long detour through the park so they only arrived just on time.

Sakura was already there and, surprisingly, so was Kakashi. Sakura saw the two coming and looked at them curiously.

"Why are you two together? Don't tell me you stayed at Naruto's last night Hinata." said Sakura with a mischievous smile on her face.

Both Naruto and Hinata blushed.

"N-No, Sa-Sakura. We just happened to meet each other on th-the way here" said Hinata.

"Yea, don't go making up stories Sakura-chan." Said Naruto.

Sakura was about to speak up again but Kakashi cut her off.

"It doesn't matter. Let's get going. This mission is S ranked. We don't have time to fool around." Said Kakashi. He then immediately jumped up into a tree just outside the gate and proceeded to jump from tree to tree towards Sunagakure.

Naruto then sprang after him, followed closely by Hinata and Sakura.

After a while, Kakashi motioned for them to stop. "Alright, we've kept up an impressive speed so far. We will probably make it to Suna tomorrow. Let's sleep. Hinata, you take first watch. Naruto, you take second. I'll take last watch." He said as he jumped down from the tree.

The three shinobi under his command nodded their heads and began to set up tents. In fifteen minutes all of them except Hinata were asleep. However, one of them wasn't going to remain asleep for long.

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Naruto awoke all of the sudden with cold sweat all over his body; he had a nightmare about the Akatsuki again. He looked at the miniature clock he had set up next to him before he fell asleep. He had only been asleep for an hour.

Suddenly, Naruto stood up and walked outside the tent, wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants and a white t-shirt.

'_I need some air_' was his thought as he did this.

He saw Hinata sitting on a log in the middle of the campsite and made his way over to her. He sat down and looked at the stars above him.

Hinata deactivated her byakugan and looked at Naruto. She had noticed him wake up from inside his tent and wanted to know what was troubling him.

Hinata blushed a little as she looked at Naruto; his t-shirt had a pretty deep v-neck and showed a little bit of his chest.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, her voice dripping with concern.

Naruto sighed. "It's the Akatsuki Hinata-chan. I feel like I still can't beat them. I've seen how powerful they've become. I've met every member while I was gone and with my current abilities I could maybe beat one of the weaker members. It's not enough. And I don't know if the leaf village is strong enough to beat them."

Hinata put her hand over Naruto's. Naruto blushed and looked at her.

'_She's beautiful with nothing but the moonlight lighting up her face. Actually, she's beautiful all the time. Her hand is warm too. What's this warm feeling in my chest?_' thought Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, don't doubt yourself. It'll be hard but you can beat them. And you'll have the help of both Suna and Konoha. And if the villages ever abandon you, I'll be there to help you. I'll always be there to help you. You don't need to" but she was cut off when a pair of lips touched hers; Naruto was kissing her.

Naruto wasn't sure what drove him to do this so suddenly but he didn't stop kissing her.

Hinata hesitated for a second before kissing him back with a large amount of passion. For about a minute they continued you to kiss each other when Naruto slipped his tongue into her mouth. Hinata was surprised but didn't mind. She wrestled his tongue with her own and after about two minutes they broke apart so they could breath.

'_Damn that need for air_' thought Hinata as she gazed into Naruto's eyes.

"Sorry Hinata-chan. I didn't mean to sur-" but Naruto was cut off as Hinata brought her lips to his, successfully silencing him.

"You don't need to be sorry Naruto-kun. I enjoyed the kiss very much" said Hinata after she pulled back from the kiss.

Naruto blushed. "I like you Hinata-chan. I didn't realize until a couple of minutes ago but now I'm sure."

"I love you Naruto-kun" said Hinata, who was blushing of course.

"You love me?" asked Naruto, surprised.

Hinata nodded. "I know you don't love me Naruto-kun but yes I do love you. I've had feelings for you for a long time and these past couple days me realize that I love you." Hinata started to tear up a bit but it was okay because they were tears of joy.

Naruto felt overjoyed; they weren't many people in his life who loved him and having one more was definitely a good thing.

Naruto slipped his hand in hers and smiled. Hinata smiled back and they talked until her shift was over.

"You should go to bed Hinata-chan." Said Naruto, who could tell she had become tired.

"Alright Naruto-kun" Hinata said while smiling. She had been smiling this entire time, she couldn't remember a happier time in her life.

Naruto kissed her on the cheek and Hinata blushed at his show of affection. She then went into her tent and fell asleep, her dreams filled with scenes of Naruto and her.

Naruto sighed happily and put on a serious face as he began his shift of being the watchdog. However, he found it difficult to concentrate because his thoughts were filled with Hinata.

**Chapter End**

A/N: did you like it? i hope so. did you like the kiss? i didn't plan on it in my original outline but i decided to add it while i was writing. again, please read and review.


	3. Comedy and Lies

A/N: okay/ so this Chapter is way shorter than i wanted it to be. i've had no time to work because my teahcers are craming in all this crap right before the christmas break so i've been studying like crazy. i will post a chap after christmas. it will be at least 3500 words. Naruto, Gaara and Hinata will finally begin their journney and there will be action. so read this chap and enjoy. it's fluffy.

wait! before that i would like to send some shout-outs to the people who reviewed.

**To Uzumaki Ricky: your reviews were very nice. to answer your question; that kiss isn't nearly as hot as the next one i'm planning and i think the first kiss was teen rated. either way, thank you.**

**To Rose Tiger: i thought it was cute too. thank you**

**To everyone else who gave me nice review: Thank you. your reviews brightened up my day and i needed them because i was having a pretty crappy day.**

**Chapter Start**

The sun was just rising in the sky. Rays of orange crept over the horizon, lighting up the small camp set up by the four Konoha Shinobi. This caused a kunoichi by the name of Hinata Hyuga to stir in her sleep.

After finally waking up somewhat, Hinata sat up in her bed and tried to collect her thoughts.

'_Where am I?'_ thought Hinata, who was not thinking straight due to her sleepiness.

She looked around the inside of her tent. '_That's right. I'm on a mission. My team is Kakashi, Sakura and… and…. Naruto!'_

Hinata shook her head to wake herself up. She had just remembered the events that had transpired last night. She shook her head again to make sure she was thinking straight.

'_Naruto and I. last night. We…we….we….KISSED!'_ Hinata screamed in her head as a blush appeared on her face.

Hinata, after a few minutes, managed to calm herself down. She then started to recount what events transpired that night one by one.

'_We were talking. I put my hand over his in an effort to make him feel better. I can't believe I was so bold. I talked to him and then…he….kissed me.'_ Hinata thought that last thought slowly in her mind so it would not overwhelm her. She then continued '_Then he told me that he liked me. And I told him I lo-loved him. Did I just stutter in my own mind? That's new. Wait…. I TOLD HIM I LOVED HIM!' _Hinata again had to get herself to calm down, this took a few more minutes.

'_Does this mean Naruto and I are… are…..a couple? It does right?_' thought Hinata, a furious blush on her face.

She heard a voice outside her tent that broke her out of stupor. "Hinata. It is time to wake up. Were getting on the move again in 20 minutes." said Kakashi

She got up and quickly started to get dressed, all the time thinking about the events that transpired last night.

When she got out of the tent she looked around. Outside was Naruto and Sakura, who were packing up their respective tents. She blushed when she saw Naruto, but quickly turned around and began packing up her tent.

When she finished, she walked over toward where Sakura and Naruto were; who were by the center of their former camp and discussing something. Sakura turned when she saw Hinata coming over.

"Morning Hinata. We were just talking about the mission." said Sakura in a cheery voice

"Good morning Sakura. Good morning Na-Naruto-kun" said Hinata, blushing a bit as she said Naruto's name.

Naruto smiled. "Good morning Hinata-chan!" he said loudly. "Did you have a good sleep? You were lucky to have the first shift; you got the most consecutive hours of sleep, besides Sakura of course because she didn't have to take a watch shift at all. I'm glad I got some sleep before my shift. Thanks for waking me up a few minutes after your shift. I needed those extra minutes of sleep."

Hinata smiled back but she was dying on the inside. '_So it was all a dream. I should have known Naruto and I getting together will probably always be just a dream.'_ thought Hinata sadly.

"Your welcome Naruto-kun" said Hinata, a fake smile on her face.

Naruto's happy look flickered for a second but it quickly turned back into its usual happy self.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Sakura spoke up again. "Alright team, we're going to do a quick search around our area. We'll each go about a half mile from here in different directions. Kakashi took north already. I'll take south, Hinata you'll take east and Naruto will obviously take west. Alright? Let's go." All three shinobi jumped in different directions.

'_I'm such an idiot'_ thought Hinata as she took off.

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West of the camp our blond-haired protagonist was also thinking deeply. Well, deeply for him anyway.

'_She was fake smiling. I could see through her facade. That means she's sad…right? yes I'm pretty sure that means she sad.' _thought Naruto as he ran through the forest.

Naruto pondered what could have made her so sad as he turned around to head back to their rendezvous point.

'_Does she not want to be with me? Is she regretting what happened last night? No. she didn't have the fake smile until after I talked to her this morning. Wait, that's when I made up that lie about what happened last night in an effort to keep Sakura in the dark.'_ then realization struck him, an odd occurrence for him. (A/n: I like to poke fun at Naruto's obliviousness.)

'_She believed what I said! Hah! And Ero-sennin called me a bad liar. Wait! Now is not the time for gloating to myself. I need to fix this quick. I won't let Hinata be sad. Especially if she's sad because of me'_ thought Naruto, a look of determination coming across his face.

He arrived back at the rendezvous point to find Hinata there waiting for him. He quickly went up to her and apologized.

"I'm sorry Hinata-chan" said Naruto, looking genuinely sorry.

Hinata was confused. "About what Naruto-kun?" she said. Hinata was sad but she couldn't blame Naruto for her depression.

"I'm sorry about lying to you earlier. I made the impression that last night didn't happen the way it did. You do remember what really happened last night right? We talked and I confessed that I liked you. And you said you loved me. And we did…other stuff." said Naruto, a slight blush on her face.

Hinata stood there for a few seconds with a blank look on her face. Then, some tears made their way to her eyes. She brought an arm up to wipe them and then took her hand and slapped Naruto.

"Ow!" said Naruto. Then he felt arms rap around him and someone's face in his chest.

"Baka." said Hinata, though her voice was muffled.

Naruto smiled, the pain of the slap already forgotten. "I know I am. But you love me anyway right?" he asked.

Hinata looked up at him and nodded. She then brought her face up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Awwwwww." said Sakura, who was looking at them with a smile on her face.

They quickly broke apart with blushes on their face. _'I can't believe I didn't notice her coming.'_ they both thought.

"That was a Kodak moment for sure." said Sakura.

Naruto and Hinata looked at Sakura in confusion. Naruto then voiced the question they were both thinking. "What the hell is a Kodak moment?" he asked.

Sakura pondered this for a while before saying "I don't know. It just seemed the right thing to say."

"It seems Okazaki323 is trying his hand at comedy" said Kakashi, who had just walked into the clearing. "I wonder if the readers are laughing? Probably not. That kind of joke has been done a million times. Actually, he's making a similar joke right now."

Naruto, Hinata and Sakura gave their team leader a very confused look. "Who is Okazaki323?" said Sakura.

"It doesn't matter. Let's just get going." said Kakashi. He then dashed in the direction of Suna.

The other three shrugged and followed him.

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The three arrived at Suna around six p.m.. They stopped at the front gate and told the one of the guards there who they were. He went to go inform a higher-ups about their arrival.

After a few minutes Temari and Kankuro came to greet them

"Ah Naruto. It is great to see you. Unfortunately, we are meeting on rather unfortunate circumstances. Please come this way" said Temari.

Kakashi's team exchanged some pleasantries with the two sand siblings as they made their way towards a huge building. '_This must be the Kazekage tower.'_ thought Naruto as they were ushered inside the building.

"Sakura please come this way. We have some shinobi that were also attacked during the Kazekage's capture that we would like you to attend to." said Kankuro. Sakura gave a nod and followed Kankuro down the hall. Hinata, however, looked worried. She could tell by Kankuro's face movements that he was lying, she was trained to tell when people were lying from her father.

Then Temari spoke up. "Naruto, would you come this way. There is something I need to speak to you about."

Naruto nodded and proceeded to follow Temari out of the room. Hinata looked worried again; she noticed Temari was lying too.

'_Why would they be lying?'_ she thought. She looked around the room. The door where Naruto and Temari had gone through was still open. She also noticed the Chunin in the room, who was supposed to be watching them, was sitting down reading a magazine and was not paying very close attention.

'_I need to follow them. Naruto could be in danger. And this guy doesn't seem to be paying very close attention.'_ Thought Hinata.

Hinata then quickly exited herself from the room.

Kakashi sighed. "Guess that leaves me and Mr. Attentive. Well, it's a perfect chance to address the readers." Kakashi got a serious look on his face.

"I bet you smarter readers were wondering why Hinata could tell Temari and Kankero were lying but couldn't tell that Naruto was lying. That's for two reason. One reason is it's because she didn't think Naruto would ever lie to her. The other is because she was too focused on what he was saying and not really focused on his face. So there you go. It's not a plot hole." Kakashi then pulled out one of his perverted books and started reading.

"They're not perverted Okazaki323. They're works of art." said Kakashi, who was lying to himself and knew that they were perverted deep down.

"fuck you" said Kakashi.

**Chapter End**

A/N: okay so i decided to try some comedy. it was only because i knew i had to make this chap short. i wanted you guys to like reading it despite its short length so i thought i'd go a different route then my usual one. anyway, Please Read and Review. Reviews and people faving my story make me write faster. so, again, read and review if you feel like you would wish to do so.


	4. A Fight and An Entrance

A/n: what's up? so i haven't updated in a while. Sorry! it's because of Christmas and new years and midterms and crap like that.

shout out to commenters:

To Rose tiger: Heh. i laughed when i read your review.

To RagingDragon4: your review helped me the most in my writing and your constructive criticism was most appreciated.

To Uzumaki Ricky: you always you caps lock. it pleases me. i laugh when i read a lot of your reviews.

To all people who wrote me nice reviews: Thank you, it brightened my day and helped me to write

A/N 2: so i added action and some drama in this chapter. not much but some. so read and enjoy.

disclaimer: i don't own Naruto. if you ask why then you don't know much about Naruto.

**Chapter Start**

Hinata tried to remain as silent as possible as she followed Temari and Naruto, a difficult task seeing as the people she was tailing were ninjas.

Eventually, Temari and Naruto approached a large door at the end of narrow corridor.

"We're going through here Naruto." Said Temari.

Naruto nodded and proceeded to open the door and enter the room, and was followed closely by Temari, who closed the door after stepping inside.

Hinata quickly, but silently, ran to the door and pressed her ear against it. '_Damn_' she thought as she realized the room Naruto entered was soundproof. '_I won't be thwarted so easily, not when it involves Naruto. Luckily, information gathering is one of my specialties_' Hinata thought as she formed some quick hand signs.

"Sharpened hearing no jutsu" she muttered. Immediately, Hinata could hear the voices inside the room. And the words she heard surprised her more than anything else she ever would have expected

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Naruto walked into the room and immediately was at a loss for words. For sitting behind a desk, was none other than Sabaku no Gaara. After a few seconds, Naruto found his voice.

"G-Gaara?" he stuttered. "I thought you were captured by the Akatsuki? What the hell is going on?" he demanded

"I'm glad to see you made it to Suna safely my friend. Please, sit down so we can discuss things" said Gaara, as he gestured to a chair in front of his desk. Naruto took a seat and waited attentively for Gaara to speak.

Gaara sighed. "I am sorry for leading you to believe that I was captured Naruto. I've counted you as a great friend for several years now and it saddened me to have to lie to you. But, it was necessary." Gaara said, a serious look on his face.

"Why did you need to lie to me? Why do you want the world to think you are captured? I don't understand at all." Said Naruto, the slightest look of annoyance on his face.

"If you'd let Gaara speak for more than five seconds you might understand more, you baka." Said Temari, irritation clear in her tone.

"It's alright Temari. Naruto has never been the patient type." Said Gaara, a barely noticeable smile on his lips.

Temari scoffed. "Could you stop picking on me and explain what the hell is going on?" said Naruto, wanting to get back on topic.

Gaara's smile disappeared and he started speaking again. "Naruto, several days ago, two Akatsuki members by the names of Deidara and Sasori attempted to kidnap me. Fortunately, I drove them off. But, they'll be back, and in greater numbers. My goal is not to stay here and wait for them to come after me again. I want to be the one to deliver the fight to them. However, being the Kazekage prevents me from doing that. So, I faked being captured. After that, I put in a request to Tsunade, the request was to send your team here"

Naruto nodded. "But, why do you want me here?" he said

"Naruto, how strong do you think you are?" asked Gaara

"Upper jonin almost kage level. I could take on one of the weaker Akatsuki members." Answered Naruto, still confused.

Gaara smiled. "A little stronger than I expected you to be, but that's a good thing. Naruto, my skills are around the same as yours, maybe a little higher. As strong as that is, it is not nearly strong enough to take on an organization such as the Akatsuki. However, if we had, say, nine people all around the same skill level as we are, do you think we could take on the Akatsuki?" asked Gaara.

Naruto thought for a few moments. "No. however, you and I have something of a trump card; the Kyuubi sealed inside of me and Ichibi sealed inside of you. So if we had nine people like you and me we might…" Naruto stopped talking as he realized what Gaara might be planning. "Gaara, you don't mean to say that you want to get the other Jinchuurikis and then attack the Akatsuki?"

Gaara smiled even wider. "You bet I am." Gaara said. Then a look of fierce determination appeared on Gaara's face.

"For far too long, we Jinchuurikis have been divided. For far too long, we've been forced to live in a society where we are outcasts, a society that treats us like dirt. For far too long, we've been sought after as weapons by forces of evil. Well no longer! I'm sick of the way the world is! A world that doesn't accept us is a world I want to change! Naruto, my goal is not just to defeat the Akatsuki. It is to change the world through actions of heroism that will show everyone how we are not monsters or demons! For that reason, we Jinchuurikis must unite! For if we do not unite, we will perish. Unite or die! Those are the options before us! So, Naruto, will you join me in this most noble of tasks?" said Gaara, his words strong and fervent.

Naruto smiled and stood up from his chair. "Damn straight I will, believe it!" shouted Naruto.

Gaara put out his hand and Naruto shook it. "Good, we will leave tonight. We are going to meet up with another jinchuuriki that I have already spoken to. First though, I believe we need to talk to a certain eavesdropper. Temari, will you please open the door?"

Temari walked over and opened the door. In the doorway was a crouched Hinata. Hinata looked nervous and guilty and immediately stood up and apologized. "I'm so s-sorry. I noticed Temari was lying to N-Naruto-kun and so I followed them and listened at the door. P-Please forgive me!" said Hinata.

A look of shock was on Naruto's face. He was about to speak up when Gaara beat him to the punch. "How much did you hear?" asked Gaara, a passive look on his face.

"Everything." Said Hinata, who proceeded to look down at the floor.

Naruto's face immediately looked frightened. '_Everything! She heard what about what is inside of me! Oh shit! Oh Shit. Just as things were getting good between us, she's going to think I'm a monster.'_ Thought Naruto.

"N-Naruto-kun." Said Hinata. Naruto locked eyes with her as she turned her face back upwards and looked at him. "I used to wonder why the villagers treated you so badly. I thought they must be bakas because you were such a good person. But, I've realized something. They're not bakas."

Naruto gulped. He didn't feel like he wanted to hear what she was going to say next.

"No I was wrong, they are definitely not bakas. They're total pieces of shit!" she shouted, anger clear in her voice.

Naruto looked astonished and then made an oompf sound as Hinata crashed into him and threw her arms around him.

"How could they do that to you? You did nothing wrong. Those bastards. You fight so hard for them, and they have audacity to treat you like that. Kami-sama, they piss me the fuck off" said Hinata, though the words were muffled somewhat due to the fact that her head was nuzzled into Naruto's chest.

Naruto looked down at her before a large smile overtook his face. Then he laughed. He laughed hard and the laugh lasted a whole minute.

Hinata tentatively looked upward at Naruto. "What's so funny Naruto-kun?" she said, confused.

"I've never heard you so angry Hinata-chan. You even cursed several times. Such coarse language from the heir of the Hyuuga clan is unexpected. You naughty girl. I must be rubbing off on you." Said Naruto playfully. "I'll have to give you a reward" he then lowered his head down to hers and kissed her.

'_she tastes sweet'_ thought Naruto as he continued to kiss her. He felt her tightening her arms around him in an effort to get closer. Naruto proceeded to wrap his arms around her neck and pull her face closer to him. She smelled like lavender was Naruto's next thought as he took in her smell. He then moved his mouth against hers and proceeded to trace her mouth with his tongue, gently nudging it open so he could taste her even more. His other hand moved downward and started rubbing the small of her back. She ran her hand through his hair, enjoying the feeling so much that she forgot that they were being watched. She was surprised when his tongue started to slide along hers, but enjoyed it immensely. She moaned softly into his mouth.

"Ahem!" said Temari, with a blush on her face.

Hinata immediately jumped back away from Naruto. She blushed and started to look down, embarrassed that she had made such a sound in the presence of anyone but Naruto.

Naruto blushed but smiled. He put one hand behind his head in a nervous gesture before chuckling a little.

"Now that's taken care of, we shall prepare to leave. Hinata, please go back to your sensei, he will be waiting for you at the front gate with your other teammate Sakura." Said Gaara

"No" said Hinata, she looked up and locked gazes with Gaara. "No way, I'm not letting Naruto go on some dangerous journey and leave me behind. Not again."

Naruto's face turned deadly serious. "You're not going with us." he stated simply.

"Yes I am"

"No, you're not"

"Yes I am"

"No you're not"

"Yes I am!" shouted Hinata, angry that Naruto was being so stubborn

"No, you're not!" shouted Naruto, irritated that Hinata was disagreeing with him.

"Yes she is." Stated Gaara. Immediately, Naruto and Hinata turned to look at Gaara.

"What?" asked Naruto, confused.

"Hinata is easily high chunin level. She also has a specialty in scouting and information gathering. I have no one with me on this journey that has those skills; she would be an invaluable asset if she came with us. Not to mention the fact that her coming along would keep you happy. So, not only would she add skill value to the team, but also morale value. Yes, a fine asset she would make indeed." Answered Gaara, smiling. "Hinata, would you like to come with Naruto and I on this dangerous journey?" asked Gaara.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Answered Hinata, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Wait a minute. I never agre-" but Naruto didn't get to finish what he was saying as he was interrupted by Gaara.

"You've been outvoted Naruto." Stated Gaara. "Naruto and Hinata, would you please follow Temari? She will lead you to a room where you can gather weapons and supplies. After that, meet me at the eastern gate and we will set off on our journey."

"Wait a minute Gaara, what about Kakashi-sensei and Sakura?" asked Naruto

"Do not worry Naruto. They have been told that their assistance is no longer needed and that you will be staying here to assist in the ongoing investigation. The Hokage already knows my plans so she won't be wondering where you are. Does that answer satisfy you Naruto?" asked Gaara after his long answer.

Naruto nodded, he was not in the mood for much talking.

Naruto and Hinata followed Temari to the supplies and weapons room. They picked through the various items without saying a word to each other. After that, they headed to the east gate and met up with Gaara and then headed out.

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Naruto sat on a log in the middle of the campsite while taking the first watch shift. Naruto was annoyed. Hinata had come with them. '_Why couldn't she have just stayed behind like I told her to?'_ thought Naruto with a sigh.

Naruto the heard a rustling sound behind him and quickly turned around. Standing behind him, wearing her regular ninja attire, was Hinata. "Hey" she said, nervousness evident in her voice.

"Hey" said Naruto. He then turned back around.

"M-Mind if I sit?" asked Hinata

"No, go ahead." Answered Naruto. Hinata quickly sat down next to him.

"Why?" she asked tentatively.

"Why what?" asked Naruto, keeping his tone bland.

"Why did you not want me to come?" asked Hinata. "Is it be-because I'm weak?'

Naruto immediately stood up and faced her. "No. Don't ever think that Hinata. I've never thought you were weak and don't dare you start thinking it. Only assholes like Hiashi think that." Naruto said fiercely.

Hinata smiled but then looked confused. "Then why don't you want me to come?"

Naruto looked away and mumbled something.

"I couldn't hear you Naruto. Would you please speak up?" asked Hinata, a little annoyed that Naruto was so reluctant to tell her the reason he didn't want her to come.

Naruto looked back at Hinata. "You deserve better than this." he said.

"Excuse me?" said Hinata, perplexed.

"You deserve better than this life. You deserve better than me. What can I offer you? A life of running around, constantly worrying if you'll be attacked while praying that somehow you can beat insurmountable odds. You deserve so much better than that. You should be back in Konoha. There, you can do normal missions and have a normal life, no, a great life. You can become the head of your clan and m-marry some r-rich guy. Then you can live happily ever after, never worrying about things life demons or s-class criminals." Said Naruto, each word paining him.

Hinata was taken aback. She regained her composure rather quickly. "Baka!" she shouted. "What makes you think I would want that life when I can have a life with you instead?" she asked, pissed off that Naruto was being so stupid.

"Because if you're with me you might die. Do you want to die?" asked Naruto

"I'd take the risk of dying if it means I could protect you, Naruto-kun" said Hinata, a fierce look on her face.

Naruto looked down and mumbled something.

"What?" asked Hinata, getting annoyed again.

"I don't want you to die!' shouted Naruto. "You're the only person I've ever had these feelings for. I'd rather die than lose you. I don't have a choice Hinata-chan; I have to go on this journey. But you do have one. And I want you to choose the choice that involves you having a good chance of surviving."

"Well, I don't want you to die!" shouted Hinata. "You're the only person I will ever love like this and I'd rather die than lose you. So here's what's going to happen. I'm staying with you because I love you and I want to protect and help you in any way I can."

"Do you really care about me that much?" asked Naruto, surprise in his tone.

"Yes. Naruto-kun, do you want to protect me?" said Hinata, seriousness in her tone.

"More than anything. I l-love y-you" answered Naruto

Hinata blushed like crazy and had to use all her willpower to not pass out. "I'm going to follow you, Naruto-kun, whether you like it or not. So, what would be the best way for you to protect me?" asked Hinata, still blushing.

Naruto sighed. "To keep you as close as possible" said Naruto. He then smiled. "How come you're always right Hinata-chan?"

Hinata smiled back and stepped closer to him. "I'm only right all the time when it is about my feelings for you Naruto-kun"

Naruto closed the distance between them and hugged her. "You know what the best perk of having you be on the journey with me is?" said Naruto in a playful voice

Hinata giggled. "What, Naruto-kun?"

"This" he said. And then he kissed her. It was closed mouth chaste kiss and only lasted a few seconds but Hinata knew what it meant; I love you.

"You should get ba-" Naruto started to say but was cut off when two kunai came hurtling towards them. They both leapt away from each other and turned in the direction of where the kunai came from.

A slender black figure jumped out of the trees and hurled more kunai at each of them. Naruto dodged his easily before shouting "Tajuu kage bushnin no jutsu". Fifty shadow clones popped into existence. "Charge" yelled Naruto, and charge the shadow clones did.

Hinata also dodged the kunai thrown at her and formed a quick hand sign. "Byakugan!" she shouted. She then charged behind Naruto.

The figure did some quick hand signs and shouted, in a feminine voice, "Doryuu Taiga!" Immediately, a river of mud spouted from the ground, causing all fifty clones to go slipping and sliding. The assailant then formed more hand signs and shouted "Doryuudan". A mud dragon appeared and shot projectiles of hardened mud at Naruto and Hinata.

Hinata stepped in front of Naruto and started to spin. "Kaiten" she shouted as she performed her clan's secret technique. The projectiles smashed into the walls and bounced off. When Hinata finished Kaiten, Naruto put chakra into his feet and leapt at the assailant. He formed a rasengan in his hand as he got closer.

"Rasengan" he yelled as he was within three feet of his opponent. The opponent however, was very quick and dodged the blow just in time. Naruto went shooting past her. He fell to the ground but got up quickly and turned around.

Suddenly a wall of sand appeared between Naruto and his opponent. "Enough!" shouted Gaara, who was walking towards them. "Fu, I don't see why you felt you needed to do this."

The assailant turned towards Gaara and reached up and pulled her mask off. She had dark skin and mint green hair. Her eyes were orange and matched an orange clip she had in her hair.

"I just needed to see of he was any good. I've never met him before. Who's she anyway?" said Fu, pointing at Hinata while speaking.

**Chapter Start**

A/N 3: so i decided it to end with the revelation of Fu as their first ally. Did you like the chapter. i hope so. please review and fav and alert and all that.

A/N 4: won't be at least two weeks till i update again due to midterms and the fact i haven't even started outlining chapter 5


	5. Trust and Understanding

A/N: YO! i didn't expect to update this quickly. Chapter's a little short but i liked it.

A/N 2: It's MLK day! Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing man. i suggest you read his letter from Birmingham prison, i find that writing of his to be particularly inspiring

To Rose Tiger: yes, she ruined their moment.

To Uzumaki Ricky: You Like to shout a lot. but that's kool. i like your story bte. the one about Naruto being shy. it's good.

To Enroth: Thanks, i hope to do my best

To everyon who reviewed: Thanks, the reviews brighten up my day.

**Chapter Start**

Naruto stared at the newcomer. '_Who's she? Why the hell did she want to test me?' _he thought.

"Gaara, who's this and why does she feel the need to test me?" asked Naruto, his tone giving away the fact that he was annoyed.

Gaara looked at Naruto with a blank expression. "This is Fu. She is the Jinchuuriki that contains the seven-tailed horned beetle. Notably, she is the only Jinchuuriki that doesn't come from one of the five great shinobi villages. Her affiliations are with Takigakure. Two months ago she was attacked by Deidara but managed to escape. She left Takigakure and has since been on the run."

"No need to tell my life story" said Fu, an annoyed expression on her face. "You must be Naruto. Gaara has told me a lot about you. You don't look as tough as he said you are though." Fu put out her hand.

Naruto hastily went over to her and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I've never met another Jinchuuriki besides Gaara. As you probably know, I'm from Konohagakure and the Kyuubi is sealed inside of me" Naruto smiled one of his trademark smiles, you could tell he was a little nervous.

"Whatever. I suppose it's nice to meet you to. Either way, who the hell is that? I thought that I was the third Jinchuuriki to be in the group." Said Fu, narrowing her eyes at Hinata.

"Her name is Hyuuga Hinata of Konohagakure. And you are the third Jinchuuriki to be in the group, Hinata is not a Jinchuuriki." Said Gaara, who looked nervous all of the sudden.

"Nani! Gaara! You said it was just gonna be us Jinchuuriki. What the hell is a normal person doing here?" yelled Fu, who looked livid, almost afraid.

Gaara sighed. "Fu, Hinata is a tracker ninja. She is also Naruto's lover. She heard about the journey and demanded to be taken along. Besides, she's useful. Not one Jinchuuriki is nearly as good a tracker as she is. She's not like most normal people, she's not afraid of the Jinchuuriki nor does she hate them"

Fu still looked pissed. "I don't trust her. How the fuck do you know she doesn't secretly hate us like all the others? Just because she's this guy's girlfriend, you trust her?"

Now Naruto was angry. "Hey! Don't insult Hinata-chan like that. She's not like that at all!" said Naruto, furious.

Hinata placed a hand on Naruto's arm. "It's alright Naruto-kun, calm down. She doesn't have to trust me."

"Yes she does." Said Gaara. "We can't be a successful unit if one of our members doesn't trust another one of our members. Fu, you're being ridiculous. Hinata has given us no reason to doubt her, and Naruto has known her for years."

Fu narrowed her eyes at Gaara. "How long has she known that he's a Jinchuuriki?" she asked.

Gaara grimaced "she found out this morning but-"

"Ahah!" interrupted Fu. "That's not nearly enough time to tell if she truly accepts him or not. She could be faking being in love with him and-" but she was interrupted as a hand slapped her.

Everyone stared at the perpetrator. "Don't you dare say that my feelings for Naruto-kun are fake!" shouted Hinata, who is the one who slapped Fu.

Fu face grew angry again. "I don't trust you. I can't be in this group if you're here." Fu said, turning to leave. She then jumped into the forest and ran off.

Gaara sighed. "I'll go get her." He said.

"No, I should be the one. It's me who caused her to leave." Said Hinata

"Hinata, I know you mean well. But I should do this" Gaara said.

"Well, I disagree" said Hinata, crossing her arms as she spoke.

"How about a competition? Winner goes after Fu." Said Gaara, smiling a little bit.

Hinata smiled "What's the game?" she asked

"How about a staring contest?" asked Gaara.

"Ummmm, guys? Shouldn't we just go after Fu? It'll be too late if we wait too long" said Naruto

"Don't worry, she won't have gone far. I know her." Said Gaara.

"A staring contest it is then. I warn you, as a Hyuuga, I've practiced keeping my eyes open many times" said Hinata, confidence in her voice.

"Whatever." Said Gaara, he walked up to her. "1, 2, 3, go." He said.

Both stared into each other's eyes, looks of concentration on their faces.

One minute passed. Then another. Then another. Naruto couldn't believe they could stare for this long.

Soon, ten minutes had passed. '_Damn! I couldn't do this!'_ thought Naruto

After twenty minutes passed Hinata finally blinked. "Damn!" she shouted. "How could you stare for that long?" she asked Gaara.

Gaara laughed. "You forget. I used to be emo. I would spend hours staring off into the distance, thinking about destruction and despair, in my younger years. I knew being an emo when I was younger would help me someday" he said.

"Damn. The power of emo. I should've known. That's the same reason Neji-niisan is so good at staring contests." Said Hinata, frustrated.

A large sweat drop appeared on Naruto's head. "The power of emo? Really?" said Naruto.

"Do not underestimate it. Naruto." Said Gaara, with a serious tone. "Now, I'm off" he said before running in the direction where Fu had gone.

"I just wish I knew why she was so distrusting." Said Hinata, with a sigh.

"I know why Hinata-chan." Said Naruto, a dark look coming across his face.

Hinata looked at Naruto worryingly. "W-Why?" she asked hesitantly.

"When I was young, many people hated me. Many still do actually. They treated me like an outcast. They ostracized me. But, some people treated me like a person. Like Teuchi and Ayame for example. So I wasn't completely ostracized. Then, when I was twelve, I learned that Iruka-sensei cared about me. And then I had team 7. And I wasn't alone anymore." Said Naruto, a far off look on his face.

Hinata hugged from behind, her eyes a little watery.

"But, I don't think Fu had people like I did. I don't think people tried to kill her though; Gaara had to go through that. I think that her people ostracized her completely. The way she looked at you, I could tell she didn't trust anyone but Jinchuuriki. I think she hates people in general. I can't say I blame her though. I probably would've ended up like her if not for my precious people." Said Naruto, still with that far off look on his face. A single tear went down his cheek.

"It's not fair." He said. "No one should have to go through that. We were kids. We barely knew anything about the world. And they treated us like we were trash. Sometimes, they would treat us like we were monsters. I handled it, but I'm worried some of the other Jinchuuriki may not have turned out as psychologically sound as I have. Kami-sama knows Gaara was messed up for a long time."

Hinata walked in front of Naruto and kissed his cheek. "It's alright Naruto-kun. They're probably almost as strong as you. And if they didn't turn out alright, you can fix them. Just like you did with Gaara. So, don't worry about it too much."

"I don't think I can just stop worrying about it Hinata-chan" said Naruto

"Then let me help you" said Hinata, blushing.

Hinata kissed a surprised Naruto. However, he quickly kissed her back with passion.

She pulled her face away and put her hands around him. "Still worrying about the other Jinchuuriki?" she asked.

"What's a Jinchuuriki?" he joked. He then kissed her again. The kiss was more passionate than most of their previous ones. They both felt a fire inside themselves as they continued to make-out.

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In another part of the forest, a man with red hair was sprinting north. Eventually, the Ichibi Container came upon a small clearing where a dark-skinned girl with mint green hair sat looking depressed.

Gaara stopped and walked over to the girl. "Hey" he said.

Fu flinched, but she didn't get up. "Hey" she said back.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked.

"No" she said back, orange eyes on the ground.

Gaara sat, and there was silence between them for several minutes before Fu spoke up.

"Why did you have her come along? I was really looking forward to this. I th-thought I wouldn't be alone for once." She said, holding back tears.

"You're not alone. You can't not trust every non-Jinchuuriki. Your people ostracized you; I know exactly how you feel. But you can trust some people. Especially Hinata. She has faced challenges similar to the ones you or I have had" said Gaara

Fu looked up and turned her head towards Gaara. "What do you mean?"

Gaara sighed. "As the Kazekage, I make it my business to know as much as I can about the other Ninja villages, especially ones I'm allied with such as Konohagakure. Hinata is from their most prestigious clan. In fact, she is the heir to her father and might one day become the head of her clan. While digging through the information I had about the Hyuuga clan, I found out a lot about Hinata's past. It seems that throughout her life, most of her clan has treated her with contempt."

"Why would they do that? I thought families were supposed to be a good thing." Said Fu, confused.

Gaara sighed once more. "For the most part, families are a wonderful thing to have. Unlike most Jinchuuriki, I have a family. And I can say I love my family and I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for their support. But not all families are as caring as mine is now. But, prestigious clans like the Hyuuga are not like normal families. As heir in her clan, Hinata will someday lead them, which means that there are certain expectations that they have of her. They expected her to be cold, like the rest of her family. But instead, she was kind and caring. They expected her to be a prodigy. But instead, she was weaker than most of her the other children in her family. So they treated her with contempt."

"Those bastards!" shouted Fu, pissed.

Gaara laughed. "My thoughts exactly. But she is strong now; she wouldn't be allowed to come with us if she was weak. I'm not sure, but it was probably Naruto who changed her. He's the one who changed me. He has that strange affect on people. When you've been around him long enough, you want to follow him. You feel like you should trust him and he will lead you to the promise land. That's why I chose him to be the first Jinchuuriki to come with me."

Fu sighed and then smiled at Gaara. "I guess I can trust her. If she went through anything close to what I had to go through and came out alright, then she's earned my respect. And I suppose if I can trust her, I can try to start trusting other people. But not right away. It'll take a while for me to change." She said. "Happy?"

Gaara smiled back "I wouldn't have it any other way." He said. "Now, let's head back. I'm tired and we have a big day of traveling tomorrow."

They both got up and started running back towards the campsite. However, they stopped at the boundary of the campsite. Fu's jaw dropped and Gaara blushed.

On the ground were Hinata and Naruto. Hinata had her back pressed to the ground. Naruto would be on top of her but he had one arm propping himself up as the two made out. His other hand was rubbing her thigh. But, the most surprising thing about Gaara and Fu's find was that neither of them had a shirt on. Naruto's bare chest was hovering over Hinata. It was obvious that Hinata didn't seem to mind because her hands were roaming said chest.

"I wonder if she's cold with only a bra and pants on?" whispered Fu

A sweat drop appeared on Gaara's head. "That's what pops into your head when you look at this. Really?" Gaara whispered

"And more importantly, why is Naruto not touching her breasts? What's the point of her shirt being off if he isn't touching her breasts?" asked Fu, whispering of course.

A larger sweat drop appeared on Gaara's head. _'I'm surrounded by perverts_' thought Gaara.

Fu pulled out two kunai and was about to throw them when Gaara grabbed her arm to stop her. "Let me" he said.

A few seconds of silence passed. "What are you waiting for?" whispered Fu

"I'm thinking of a humorous way to do this. Temari once told me I should try to be more humorous." Gaara whispered back. "I suppose this will do."

"YEA BOY! DO WORK!" shouted Gaara.

Naruto jumped off Hinata and scrambled to get his clothes on. Hinata eeped and scrambled to get her shirt and jacket back on.

Fu was next to Gaara rolling on the floor laughing and Gaara had a small smile on his face.

"Dammit Gaara! Was that necessary? Shouted Naruto, a large blush on his face that was only dwarfed by the even larger blush on Hinata's face.

Fu stood up and approached the blushing Hyuuga and mumbled something.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." Asked Hinata, confused.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. I was being kind of a bitch. I just find it hard to trust people." Said Fu, looking nervous.

Hinata smiled. "It's alright. You really weren't being a bitch. I understand."

Naruto smiled. "You're a good person Fu. It's hard to apologize sometimes but you did so anyway. You're a good person"

Fu smiled. A lone tear went down her cheek. She quickly brought her hand up to wipe it. "Sorry, it's just that not many people like me and it makes me happy not to be alone anymore." Said Fu.

"We're not about to group hug are we?" asked Gaara.

"Way to ruin the moment, Gaara." said Naruto, shaking his head.

Gaara shrugged. "Anyway, get to bed. We're heading to the land of earth tomorrow. This means a lot of traveling north. And it won't be easy; the land of earth isn't really friendly with anyone."

Naruto frowned. "Why the land of earth?" asked Naruto.

"I've been exchanging secret letters with a Jinchuuriki who is from Iwagakure, just like I did with Fu. He has agreed to come with us. However, he is not the only Jinchuuriki from Iwagakure. So the other reason to go up there is for us to convince the other Jinchuuriki to come with us." Said Gaara.

"Two more Jinchuuriki? If we go this fast then we'll collect them all in no time!" said Naruto, a smile on his face.

"I hope so. I don't how much I can stand your constant positive attitude." Said Fu jokingly.

"Hey!" shouted Naruto. Hinata giggled.

"That's enough. To bed with all of you. I'll take duty as the sentry tonight." Said Gaara

Fu, Naruto, and Hinata nodded and were about to go to their respective tents when Gaara stopped them with his words.

"Naruto and Hinata, please go to your own tents. We can't continue the journey if we have to lug around a pregnant Hyuuga." Said Gaara, who had a small smile on his face.

Hinata fainted, Naruto went red and Fu laughed.

"Dammit Gaara!" yelled Naruto.

**Chapter End**

A/N 3: so yea. hope you liked it. please read and review.

A/N 4: so i decided to name my chapters. hope you like the names.


	6. Holding Hands and Victory

**A/N 1: Yo! it's Okazaki323 here. I haven't updated in a little over a month. I'm sorry. i was busy. playing Nazi Zombies. playing Yu gi Oh. playing Dungeons ans Dragons. playing other stuff. school. it's just been hectic. but, i've updated now. and, i really like this chapter. it's fluffy. writing fluff and humor is a billion times more fun than writing action. not that there won't be action in my story later.**

**Shout outs to people who commented**

**TO Amorous Grunty: Killer bee won't be in it for a while. he'll probs be one of the last Jinchuriki to join the group. sorry! i'm glad you like the story so far. i hope the other Jinchuuriki satisfy you for now**

**TO Selonianth: your review made me laugh so hard.**

**To MizoreShirayukifan: i've never seen rob and big. i heard of it somewhere. me and MTV don't mix. i'm really glad you liked the chapter though. THX!**

**To xxXDarkNekoJokerXxx: your review was the longest. i enjoyed reading it a lot and i thank you for it.**

**To everyone who left me a review. i got 12 reviews last chapter, which is the most I've ever gotten for one chapter : Thank you! your reviews brighten my day and make me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Shueisha publishing company and the mangaka Masashi Kishimoto does. if i owned it, shit would go down.**

**Chapter Start**

Deidara's eyebrow twitched in annoyance; due to the fact he was losing his staring contest. Itachi, who was his opponent, just stood there unmoving.

"Damn!" shouted Deidara.

Itachi gave a little smirk and then quickly changed his facial expression back to its normal impassiveness.

Kisame laughed. "That's what happens when you underestimate the power of emo. I learned that the hard way."

"Enough!" shouted Pain, who was seriously annoyed. '_Kami-sama, how can S-class criminals act like a bunch of children?'_ thought Pain.

Pain then narrowed his eyes at the men in front of him. Before him were Kisame, Deidara, Itachi and Sasori. "You're pathetic!" shouted Pain. "Naruto, Gaara, Fu, Roshi, Han. Those are the five Jinchuuriki's I assigned you four to capture. You four claim to be some of the most powerful shinobi the world has ever seen, yet none of you completed the tasks I gave you. Itachi and Kisame, I know that you could not capture Naruto due to him being guarded by Jiraiya, at least, that was the pathetic excuse you gave me for not capturing him. But why, pray tell, could you not capture Han and Roshi? Please tell me, I'm dying to know." Said Pain, anger hidden behind every word he spoke.

Kisame started to sweat when Itachi answered for them both. "Roshi and Han proved more powerful than I expected. When together, they are an amazing team. Han's steam jutsu stopped me from casting any genjutsu on the pair and Roshi's Lava Jutsu stopped both Kisame and I from getting to close to them. Neither Kisame nor my skills suit well against theirs. Do not misunderstand me, they cannot defeat us. But, as long as we are forbidden to kill them, we cannot defeat them either."

Pain nodded. '_Maybe Kazuku and Hidan would be a better pair to send.'_ "Fine, leave us now. Sasori, Deidara and I need to talk alone."

Itachi and Kisame both quickly left, thankful to get away from their leader.

"Sasori and Deidara, a month ago I sent you to Takigakure so you could pick up the Jinchuuriki named Fu. Why is she not in our possession?" Asked Pain

Sasori spoke up "She proved rather elusive. When we arrived at Takigakure she had already left. Even now, we do not know of her location. We staked out the village for two weeks, but she did not show up. It seems she left the village. We don't believe she had any warning of our arrival. I believe we are a victim of coincidence."

Pain nodded. "Okay. I expect you both to search for her and find her in the near future. But, let's get to the other issue I wished to talk about. Why did Gaara also escape capture?"

Sasori again spoke up. "He proved too advantaged and well guarded to capture."

Pain looked at him in confusion. "Elaborate." He demanded.

"He had twenty jonin around him at all times. Also, he lives in a fucking desert! His powers come from his ability to control sand. With so much material for him to use his powers with around him, he is nearly impossible to defeat. Deidara went up against him and lost his arm. After that, we knew if we wanted to capture him, we would have to wait until he was out of his Village." Stated Sasori.

"Where is the Kazekage now?" asked Pain

"We have no idea, hn" said Deidara, who only had one arm. "He disappeared around three days ago, hn. He must have left the village, hn."

Pain sighed. '_Why the fuck are Jinchuuriki disappearing. Fu, Gaara and Naruto. Where the fuck are they?'_ then, an idea struck Pain.

"Together." Pain said out loud. A look of understanding came across his face. Deidara looked at his leader curiously. "What is it, hn?" he asked.

"They are coming together. What other reason could there be for their sudden disappearance? Dammit. I should've seen this coming. You two, get over to Kumogakure. I want you keeping constant tabs on the two tails and the eight tails. Tell Itachi and Kisame to head to Iwagakure, I want them to watch over the four tails and the five tails." Ordered Pain.

Both Sasori and Deidara left quickly to tell their comrades their leader's orders.

Pain sighed and brought his hands together in a thinking pose. He then smiled. "Interesting move Jinchuuriki. But now, it's my turn.

The sun had only just risen when Gaara woke up his companions so they could get moving. They all got up slowly and ate a hasty breakfast when Gaara called them to the center of the camp.

Naruto, Fu and Gaara sneezed. Hinata looked at them curiously. "Are you guys coming down with something?" she asked.

"No, don't worry Hinata-chan. Jinchuurikis don't really get sick. The Bijuu inside us prevents that." Said Naruto, smiling at his girlfriend.

"Alright, I was just worried. Gaara, can you please explain what we're doing gathered around the center of our campsite. We should get moving." Asked Hinata.

"I'd thought I would explain the plan to you three. As I told you, we are heading into the Land of Earth. However, we are not going to Iwagakure. We are heading to a village about twenty miles south of it. There, we will meet up with a Jinchuuriki." Said Gaara

"Who are we meeting? Be a little more specific." Said Naruto, a little annoyed.

"Patience is a virtue Naruto. I was just getting ready to tell you. His name is Roshi and inside him is the Four-Tailed Monkey. He is the oldest of the Jinchuuriki as he is fifty three. He has red hair. The most unique thing about him is his ability to use Lava jutsu." Said Gaara

Hinata's, Fu's, and Naruto's eyes widened.

Fu let a low whistle. "Damn, I've never heard of Lava jutsu. He must be strong."

Gaara smiled "Yes, yes he is."

"Wait a minute, what about the other Jinchuuriki? You said there would be two in the Land of Earth." Said Naruto

"We will also meet the other Jinchuuriki. His name is Han. But other than that, I don't know anything about him. Roshi informed me in a letter that he would tell us all about him when we get to the Land of earth." Said Gaara.

"Now, let's get moving. We've wasted enough time as it is. Right now, we are near the border between Bird country and the Land of Earth. It'll only take us a couple of hours to get there." Said Gaara. He then took off, the other three quickly following after him

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Gaara, Fu, Hinata and Naruto arrived at the village after about 3 hours. But before they entered the village, they stopped at a hill about two hundred yards from the village entrance.

"Alright, we'll need to use henge no jutsu before we go in. We don't want our want our enemies to know where we are. We'll move in pairs. Naruto with Hinata, and Fu with me." said Gaara

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Why can't we go as one group?" he asked

"Because we have two objectives, the first one is finding and talking with Roshi. Fu and I will complete that objective." Said Gaara

"What's the other one?" Hinata asked

"Fu forgot many supplies necessary for living outdoors for an extended period of time. Mainly, a sleeping bag and a tent. Also, she did not pack many kunai or shurikens. Naruto and you will be covering that objective." Said Gaara.

Naruto and Hinata gave Fu a blank look. "Really?" they said in unison.

"Hey! I was excited about the trip. And in my excitement, I forgot to pack many things. It's a mistake anyone could make." Said Fu, defensively.

"It shouldn't be a mistake that ninja should ever make." Said Gaara, a miniscule sweat drop appearing on his forehead.

"Whatever." Said Fu

"Alright, Naruto and Hinata please henge and enter the village first. I'd rather not go in as a group. Just in case our enemies know that we are a group of four." Said Gaara.

Naruto and Hinata nodded and performed Henge no Jutsu. Naruto henged to make himself look a little older, he was about two inches shorter and his hair went from its usual vibrant yellow to a normal looking brown. His eyes also changed from blue to brown. His attire changed into a simple blue shirt with a pair of gray pants.

Hinata henged to make herself a little older, just like Naruto. Her hair went from dark blue to brown and her eyes changed from white with a tinge of lavender to blue. Her attire changed to a simple blue shirt with navy blue pants.

Gaara nodded. "Good, you both look rather inconspicuous." He said, looking satisfied. "We'll meet at this address." Gaara handed Naruto a slip of paper. Naruto took it.

"C'mon Hinata-chan, let's go get the stuff. Think of it this way, it'll be our first real date." Said Naruto, smiling

Hinata blushed but looked pleased. Then, Naruto and Hinata walked towards the town.

Fu turned to Gaara. "So, I guess we should henge and go into town a few minutes after them?" she asked.

Gaara nodded and performed Henge no Jutsu. He transformed himself to be the same height and slightly darker skin. His hair went from red to green and his eyes changed to the color blue. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants.

Fu then performed Henge no Jutsu herself. The result made Gaara facepalm.

Fu made herself six inches taller, so she should stood about six feet. Her hair went to brown and so did her eyes. Her clothing changed into a long sleeved red shirt with black sweat pants. However, her bust increased to more than twice its normal size.

"What?" she asked.

"We don't want to attract attention. Yet, you decide to make yourself have huge boobs and be really tall. Why?"

Fu stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, I just wanted to see what it was like to walk around having breasts this size. Hinata's are way bigger than mine and I wanted to know what it was like for her to walk around with big ones like these. Also, I've always wanted to be tall."

Gaara shook his head. "Reduce your height and breast size. We don't want to attract attention."

"Fine" Fu said. She then henged so she was her regular height and breast size. "Happy?" she asked

"Slightly." Gaara answered. "Let's go, I want to get this done quickly."

She nodded and they proceeded to head towards the village

_About 20 minutes after Hinata and Naruto entered the village_

Naruto and Hinata were wandering the village, they had already accomplished their task and Naruto had sealed what they bought into a storage scroll that he had in one of the pockets in his vest.

"I didn't know you knew fuuinjutsu Naruto-kun. Did Jiraiya teach it to you?" asked Hinata, surprised Naruto had the skill.

Naruto nodded. "Yea, Ero-sennin thought it would be a useful skill for me to have. Originally, he was only going to teach me storage scrolls but, it turned out I had real knack for fuuinjutsu so he decided to teach me a bunch of stuff. I can make explosive seals and other stuff too."

Hinata smiled. '_My Naruto is so cool. My Naruto…. I like the sound of that'_ thought Hinata as they turned a corner that led to a bunch of food stalls.

As they walked Naruto kept glancing at Hinata. Actually, to be more specific, he kept glancing at her hand.

'_I want to hold it.'_ Naruto reached out for it but stopped. For some reason, he was nervous.

'_C'mon Naruto! You can do it. You've gone farther with Hinata than holding hands. You won't, you won't. No balls, no balls.'_ Thought Naruto, trying to give himself a pep talk.

'_Kami-sama, this is hard, it's because they are people around. Aw fuck it! I'm going for it.'_

Naruto then quickly slipped his hand into Hinata's hand

Hinata blushed like crazy and looked down. '_In public! We've gone farther than this but, something about doing this with other people around makes me so nervous. Not that I don't like it….'_ Thought Hinata, obviously surprised Naruto was holding her hand.

Naruto looked over at Hinata and was immediately worried. '_Shit! She doesn't like this. It's too out in the open for her. Stupid me! Wait. I'm assuming things. Maybe she's just shy and does like it. She said she loves me and I think I believe her. It's just so hard to believe. I've never been loved before. Then again, I've never been in love before and I am now. So, it's not like it's impossible she loves me. Either way, I don't think she likes me holding her hand.'_

(A/N: Naruto knows how to love. A lot of stories say he doesn't know how to love at but I think he does. He loves Iruka. He loves Konoha. He loves his precious people. So it's not like love is foreign to him. The only thing that he's not familiar with is romantic love, which is a love that is foreign to everybody in the beginning.)

Naruto decided to ask her about whether she liked holding his hand or not rather than just let go of her hand; he was enjoying it too much to just stop.

"Hinata-chan, do you not like me holding your hand? I'll stop if you don't like it." Naruto said.

"N-No!" shouted Hinata, surprised at her own loudness. A couple people around looked over at the pair, but after a few seconds turned back to what they were doing before.

Hinata brought her head up and looked into Naruto's eyes "What I mean is that I don't want to let go of your hand Naruto-kun. It's just that I'm a little shy with all these people around. Public displays of affection are something looked down upon by my clan, so it's pretty foreign to me."

Naruto laughed. "That's great. But, you shouldn't be shy Hinata-chan."

"I know it's stupid. I've always been shy though. That's the biggest reason it took me so long to tell you my feelings Naruto-kun. But, when I'm with you, I don't feel as shy as I used to. Being around you is so comfortable." Hinata said, her cheeks tinged pink and a smile on her lips.

Naruto smiled his trademarked grin. "That's wonderful Hinata-chan. But, that's not what I meant."

Hinata gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about Naruto-kun?" she asked.

Naruto laughed. "I meant you shouldn't be shy because you are henged right now. If you weren't henged then it would be expected of you to be somewhat shy. Every guy would be looking at us if you looked how you did normally. Everyone here would be staring at you, some with envy, and others with desire." He said.

Hinata blushed harder and looked down. "Th-Thank you Naruto-kun."

"No problem Hinata-chan. When I came back to Konaha, I was struck by your beauty. You were easily the most beautiful girl I had ever seen." Said Naruto. Then, Naruto's facial expression turned into a look of horror.

"Not that I only became interested in you because of your beauty Hinata-chan!" Naruto nearly shouted, frightened his girlfriend thought that he only liked her because of her looks.

Hinata brought her head up and giggled. "Don't worry Naruto-kun. Even if you did notice me because of my looks, it's no big deal. You might not know this but, lust is often a catalyst for love."

Naruto stopped and stepped in front of her with his front facing her. He put on a serious face before saying "Hinata-chan, I know that. But that's not what happened, at least, I don't think so. Before I came into the village, Jiraiya and I talked about love. He told me about the signs people sometimes give when they love someone. And, the signs got me thinking about you. I thought about how you gave me medicinal cream after my fight with Kiba. I remembered how you were one of the few people who never made fun of me. I remembered how you gave me confidence before my fight with Neji. I remembered your fight with Neji during the preliminaries. I started to think of you in a whole new light. Not just one of my precious people, but as a kind, brave kunoichi who treated me like I was important to them."

Naruto took Hinata's face in his hands. His eyes and Hinata's eyes were staring at each other; both could feel the other's gaze, as if looking into each other's soul. "Hinata-chan, to be honest, not everybody would see you as beautiful as I do. Jiraiya once told me that if I had affections for a person, that I would see them as beautiful. When I saw you when I came back, my feelings about you had already changed a lot. I didn't love you then, but I saw you as a very important person to me. So, I really don't think I started to notice you for your beauty."

Hinata's face went very red but, she leaned in and kissed him anyway. Naruto, of course, kissed her back. It was soft kiss, no lust but, a lot of passion. After about a minute, they pulled apart and Naruto brought his hands down from Hinata's face.

Hinata put her arms around him, and he put his arms around her.

"You know, a lot of people are around and some of them are watching." Naruto said, worried she might be too shy for this and would pass out on him.

Hinata nuzzled her face into Naruto's chest. She replied to him, her voice a little muffled "I could care less right now Naruto-kun. You care about me more than I could have ever hoped for. And, I know some might think your speech was a little sappy, but I thought it was beautiful. I love you."

Naruto noticed his shirt got a little wet; Hinata let loose a few tears of joy.

Then, realization struck Naruto. '_She really does love me.'_

"Hellz yea!" shouted Naruto, surprising everyone around the couple. But, zero was the number of shits Naruto gave about what people around them thought.

He picked Hinata up and swung her around, laughing. Hinata let loose a few giggles as well.

Naruto then put Hinata down and slipped his hand into hers once more. "Let's go." He gave her a huge smile. She smiled back, not the slightest embarrassed about what they had done in the middle of a street with at least fifteen people around them. They started to walk towards the address that Gaara had given them.

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Gaara and Fu were almost at their destination and neither of them had said a word to each other since entering the village.

Fu, a little bored, spoke up. "So, this guy is old right?"

"Yea" Gaara said back.

"And, he's not married right?" asked Fu.

"Yea." Gaara said again.

"Does….does that mean he's a pervert?" asked Fu.

"No." Gaara said, and then thought '_Kami-sama I hope not. I'm surrounded by perverts already.'_

They arrived at a small café a few minutes later.

Gaara looked around and saw who he was looking for. "Over there" he said to Fu.

They both walked up to a man who was sitting in the corner drinking tea and reading a book. He was wearing a large headpiece consisting of a three pointed crown-like ridge, bearing both his Iwagakure forehead protector and ring, and a prominent black piece of armor running across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Despite his age, his hair was red and so was his beard.

They walked over to the man, Gaara spoke up. "Roshi?" he asked.

The man looked up and nodded. "What ties are stronger than blood?"

"The ties of men and women who have faced hardship like no other and hold compassion for each other." Gaara answered.

"So it's you." Said Roshi, he put his book down. Gaara and Fu's eyes saw the book; it was a copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Ha! I knew he was pervert!" shouted Fu, not at all embarrassed that she shouted that in a café.

"That's not necessarily true. He might not be a pervert. He may just think it's good literature." Said Gaara, hope in his voice.

Roshi looked at Fu with a serious look on his face. "I am not a pervert." He stated simply.

'_Yes!'_ thought Gaara, relieved. However, his relief was short lived.

"I'm a **super** pervert! Never confuse me with some common pervert." Roshi said, annoyed.

"Dammit!" shouted Gaara. He fell to his knees. "Why?" he shouted.

Fu just laughed in victory.

**Chapter End**

**A/N 2: So...did you like it? i hope so. please review if you would like.**

**A/N 3: Should i pair Gaara and Fu? if you would tell me your opinion i would greatly appreciate it. the question has been eating at me sometimes.**

**A/N 4: if you would like to suggest a pairing i'm all ears. as long as it not yaoi or yuri. i'm against yaoi unless it involves sai. Sai could definitely be gay. the shirt people, look at his shirt. also, no pairings that mess up Naruhina. and no, Naruto will never have Multiple wives. I absolutely hate that. it ruins stories. A mother's love was ruined that way. not that it was that great anyway. the other A Mother's love by the same author was pretty good.  
**


	7. Of Eyes and Things to Come

A/N 1: So here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter Start**

"Get off the floor Red and have some tea. And you, young woman, stop gloating and sit down" said Roshi, somewhat irritated

"Red?" questioned Fu as she sat at the small table.

"It's a nickname I asked Roshi to use when I'm disguised." Said Gaara, taking his seat.

Roshi put his little orange book in a pocket, he then looked Gaara straight in the eye, as if trying to figure him out with nothing more than a stare.

"I'm not sure what lies behind those henged eyes, but I see you're the real deal." Said Roshi, switching his stare to Fu

"The real deal?" questioned Gaara, but Roshi's attention was already focused on Fu, he didn't even hear Gaara.

Fu had a perplexed look on her face. "What do you think you're going to learn from my eyes you old pervert?"

Roshi didn't answer right away. He stared into her complex pools for a few more seconds, then closed his eyes and spoke in a low tone. "Hardship lies behind your eyes, one we all know too well."

Fu's expression took one of mild surprise, before molding into a very serious one. "I suppose it would."

Gaara looked at the door of the cafe and then stood up. "It seems our other two companions have arrived. Let's go so we can talk somewhere more private."

Sure enough, the henged forms of Naruto and Hinata walked into the store, hand in hand.

Fu quickly got up and ran to the door to greet them while Roshi remained seated.

"Don't feel like talking now that we're finally here?" questioned Gaara.

"I haven't finished my tea" said Roshi, pointing to his half full tea cup.

Gaara sighed. "I don't have time for this." He slapped the cup so it turned over, spilling all of its hot content.

"Ok" said Roshi, getting up.

Gaara started walking out, but then stopped when he noticed Roshi wasn't following him. He turned around to see Roshi tearing up a bit.

"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilt tea, but it's just so sad!" Roshi cried, wiping away a tear.

A large sweat drop formed on Gaara's head. "Shut the fuck up" He said, exasperated.

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The sun was just starting to set as the group ran through the forest. Naruto, Fu, Gaara and Hinata, no longer in disguise, followed a running Roshi as he rushed through the forest making many random turns.

"Where are we going? We've been running for around seven hours now!" said an annoyed Naruto

Hinata, who was next to him, said "I'm sure Roshi has an adequate reason for the long trip Naruto." '_Or at least he better have'_ thought Hinata, who although calm on the outside, was also rather annoyed.

Roshi suddenly stopped and pointed to a small house in a clearing ahead. "We're here" he said.

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The group walked into the small home. It seemed to consist of just two rooms, a combined kitchen/living room and a door leading to what the group assumed was a bedroom. The kitchen part had a stove, some brown wooden cabinets, and a round table with 5 chairs around it. The living room had a couch, a window, and a small book shelf that contained many orange volumes. The color scheme of the room seemed to be a dark purple, as the couch and the drapes were both this color.

The group took seats around the table and Gaara spoke up first. "You know what I'm here for, Roshi."

Roshi sighed and took out a pipe he pulled from one the pockets on his purple pants. He then reached into a bag at his waste, and produced a small bag of tobacco. After preparing and lighting his pipe, he spoke.

"I'll tell you what I told you in my letters, I just don't know. If Han is up for it I'll consider it, but I doubt he will join you on your escapade. His has a lot of ties and responsibilities, convincing him to join you will be nigh impossible."

"I don't understand, why won't you join if this Han guy doesn't want to come? And what could be more important than stopping the Akatsuki? Whatever this guy is doing can't be more important than that." Said Naruto with a confused expression on his face.

Roshi then glared at Naruto and spoke in a low voice. "This world is anything but a small place you blond haired brat. There other things out there for a man to focus on then going on some heroic expedition. Not all of us care that much about the Akatsuki."

"They're trying to capture and harness our power, we're forced to care about them." Said Naruto, glaring back at Roshi.

"I'm not saying I don't agree with you, I'm saying I understand if Han won't want to go. And Han needs my help with his responsibilities, and I won't abandon my best friend to go with you." Said Roshi, dropping his glare and adopting an exhausted expression.

"Enough of this talk" said Gaara, drawing attention away from the two Jinchuuriki. "This will all be settled when we visit Han, for now let's make with some introductions."

Naruto looked ready to continue his previous conversation, but a gentle hand on his arm and a soft expression from Hinata took away his will to fight.

"Fine, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm from Konohagakure no Sato and I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko. It's very nice to meet you Roshi." Said Naruto, politely.

Roshi nodded and then looked to Fu. "My name is Fu and I'm from Takigakure no Sato. I'm the container for the Nanabi." Said Fu, with a serious expression on her face.

Hinata gave a little smile before speaking up. "My name is Hinata Hyuga and I'm from Konohagakure no Sato. I am not a Jinchuuriki but I tagged along to make sure Naruto is safe and so I could help stop the Akatsuki. It's a pleasure to meet you Roshi-san." She said, with a polite manner that had been drilled into her since she could talk.

Roshi raised his eyebrows a little at this, but said nothing of it. Instead he made his own introduction. "My name is Roshi and I hail from Iwagakure no Sato. I am the Jinchuuriki for the Yonbi. I enjoy Tea and the writings of Jiraiya-sensei. I make it my life's work to help out Han and to protect my village when the time calls for it."

Roshi then stood up and started to move around the kitchen. Taking things from cabinets and drawers. "Since you're all here I should start making dinner"

Hinata quickly got up, a smile on her face. "Please allow me to help Roshi-san" she said.

Roshi nodded and started handing her things and giving instructions.

Gaara then stood up. "Naruto, Fu, come with me. I want to check around this place to make sure we're not being watched."

The two nodded and followed him out the door.

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Hinata furiously chopped carrots with a practiced hand, dividing the carrots into equal parts with amazing precision.

"You know you're way around a kitchen." Roshi remarked.

Hinata blushed at the compliment and nodded, keeping to her work.

"What is your relationship with Uzumaki-san?" questioned Roshi, who was reading a cookbook as he gathered more things from the cabinets.

"Why do you want to know Roshi-san?" Hinata responded.

"I have my reasons." Said Roshi, his tone as cryptic as his words.

"Well, if you must know, Naruto is my love and I am his." Said Hinata, a little spike of joy going through her body as she spoke the words.

Roshi nodded. "He is a good person. His eyes are full of passion and conviction. Not usual qualities in one so young."

Hinata smiled at hearing him compliment Naruto. "Yes he is, it's one of the many reasons I love him."

Suddenly he turned her around and grabbed her shoulders. "And does he love you back?" he asked, his tone suddenly serious.

Hinata was surprised and her face showed so. "Y-yes" she stuttered out.

"You don't sound convinced"

Hinata's face became hardened and she spoke in a harsh tone. "Naruto loves me. And I love him with all my heart. Why are you questioning this?" she said.

Hinata then pushed Roshi back. Her face was dead serious and she waited for an answer.

Roshi sighed and sat down. "Put the carrots in the pot and sit down. I promise I'll explain myself to you."

Hinata nodded, her expression still hard. She proceeded to put the carrots in a pot of hot water and sit down across the table.

"I've seen a lot of things in this world" started Roshi. "One of the things I've seen before is teenage love. Almost every time I see it, it's fake. Although it always has some basis, it almost always ends up being built on false notions. It's obvious you're here because you love Uzumaki-san. I wanted to make sure you weren't risking your life over false love. But do not worry. I see it in your eyes, your love for him is real."

Hinata's expression softened and she no longer looked like she was ready fight Roshi to the death.

"While I thank you for your concern Roshi-san, I'd appreciate if you would tell me your intentions before doing things like that in the future."

Roshi smiled. "I'll be sure to do that."

He then got up and put his hands behind his head. "This generation sure is an odd bunch."

Hinata also got up. "What do you mean by that Roshi-san?"

"I've never seen so much conviction in the eyes of youngsters. I suppose it might be expected by a Jinchuuriki, but even a regular young kunoichi like you has eyes filled with determination. I suppose it's a good thing, but I wish I could see more easygoingness in your eyes. So much to worry about in these dark times, It's a situation that calls for a generation like this." Said Roshi, a slight hint of sorrow in his voice.

"You put a lot of emphasis on the eyes Roshi-san." Commented Hinata

"They are the gateway to the soul Hinata-san" replied Roshi. He then slapped his hands against his knees. "Let's finish dinner before those friends of yours return." He said, looking determined to finish his cooking.

"Of course" said Hinata, who went over to check the pot.

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Naruto, Fu and Gaara stood together about twenty feet from the house, they had just spent the last forty minutes looking around the surrounding forest.

"Anything?" asked Gaara

"Nothing but the wind Gaara" said Fu, Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Well that's good, not that I expected anything. No, the real reason I called you here was to speak with you about the situation." Said Gaara, his face becoming serious

"What is it?" asked Naruto

"If we can't convince Han to join us after a couple days, we will drop the issue and continue on our journey." Said Gaara

Both Naruto and Fu immediately protested.

"What the hell are you talking about? We need them if we want to defeat the Akatsuki, we can't just give up!" yelled Naruto

"Naruto's right Gaara, if we can't convince him in a short amount of time, we need to just keep trying." Said Fu, surprised Gaara would give up so easily.

"I'm not saying we will give up. But if we can't convince Han quickly we will have to move on and come back to him later. If we stay in one place too long the Akatsuki will be sure to find us. And if that happens...well I don't want to think about what could happen if one of us were captured." Explained Gaara

Naruto sighed. "I suppose you're right, but I really don't feel like failing with this. Let's give everything we have and convince this guy that he needs us as much as we need him."

"Agreed. Now let's get in the house, I'm starving and something smells good." Said Fu, licking her lips in anticipation

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As the three shinobi walked in to the small house they smelled good food and their stomachs groaned in anticipation.

"Dinner is served" said Roshi, gesturing to the food at the table where Hinata sat.

"This looks delicious Ossan" said Fu, looking at the food with a glint in her eye.

Roshi scoffed at that. "I'm not old; I don't even have gray hair. Now shut up and get eating, we didn't work hard on this meal for it to get wasted."

And so they sat. Eating a delicious meal and telling stories to each other. It was a merry night in the end, the type of night you wish every night could be. In these dark times not so many get a night like this, and so they cherished it, and hoped for more to come.

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Just outside of Iwagakure, two ninja in black robes with a pattern of red clouds sat on a rock.

"If he's not in his village, where the hell is he?" said Kisame, hoping his more intelligent partner would have some sort of answer.

Itachi sighed, and for a second, Kisame could've sworn he was an old man. "Probably some sort of safe house that we have no chance of finding."

"Shit!" shouted Kisame. "Why would he be in hiding? This makes no sense!"

"Actually it makes perfect sense." Stated Itachi "Leader-sama said the Jinchuuriki are starting to gather themselves together. Obviously they got to Roshi before we did and have gone into hiding once more."

"Well what we do now? We have no leads, it was a long trip here, and there's no way I'm going back empty handed. There's gotta be something we can do!" shouted Kisame, desperately looking to Itachi for help.

"Do not worry I have a plan. We will go to Han. I've known of his location for a long time and I doubt he has moved. Actually, I'm almost certain that is where the gathered Jinchuuriki will be headed next." Said Itachi, standing up and starting to walk way

"Awesome! Samehada is so excited! New Jinchuuriki chakra always gets him so hungry! Where are we heading anyway?" said Kisame

"To the Industrial District of the Land of Earth. Or more specifically, we're going to section seven of the Industrial District." Said Itachi, emotion absent from his voice

"So exciting! I've only heard rumors about that place. Is it truly as disgusting as they say?" asked Kisame

"It is a grave place. I've only visited once and it's never been a priority of mine to ever return." Replied Itachi

"I never knew you were so soft Itachi." Teased Kisame

"I've never loved suffering as much as you Kisame." Stated Itachi

"No one ever does!" exclaimed Kisame

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A man placed a cigar in his mouth and lit it. He took a few puffs before removing it from his lips and smiling.

"Soon." The man said "soon he will be out of my hair and I will take our efficiency to a whole new level."

There was a knock on the door behind him and a short woman with brown hair pulled into a tight bun walked into his office.

"I have the Damiyo's approval, Chikara-sama" stated the woman.

"In writing?" Chikara asked

"Of course sir. The document has the official seal and the personal signature of the Damiyo himself." She said

Chikara laughed. And what a laugh it was. It was so perfectly evil that just by listening to it anyone could hear the dark designs the man had.

"Perfect. That damn pile of armor won't know what to do after this." Said Chikara, who was now enjoying his cigar even more than usual.

**Chapter end**

****A/n 2: So there it is. I hope you enjoyed it. Please write a review if you're so inclined to do so.


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